European Parliament To Vote On CIA Torture Flights Report *UPDATED*
The European Parliament will vote today on the report which slams some member states for collusion with the CIA in rendition flights. Last year MEPs set up a temporary committee to investigate the complicity of some European countries and found that 14 of them had at best turned a blind eye, and at worst colluded with CIA activities. Britain was singled out for its lack of co-operation with the committee as well as being one of the countries accused of colluding in the rendition flights. Italy and Germany are also heavily criticised.
It was only late in January this year that Margaret Beckett admitted that the Government knew about the secret prisons to which the CIA transported suspected terrorists. Ten countries are said to have allowed flights in and over their territory and Britain is near the top of the list beaten only by Germany in the number of stopovers allowed.
- Germany 336
- Britain 170
- Ireland 147
- Portugal 91
- Spain 68
- Greece 64
- Cyprus 57
- Italy 46
- Romania 21
- Poland 11
In order to secure the vote of the British Labour group in the European Parliament, the criticisms of Geoff (Buff) Hoon, who was particularly evasive, had to be dropped.
Hoon's evasiveness however, is a matter of record. If the report is approved, it will be uncomfortable for Tony Blair who, as we know, doesn't like talking about this issue.
*UPDATE*
The European Parliament has approved the report.
Its good to know the
Its good to know the interests if the UK were taken into account when deciding to vote in favour.
If it wasnt so tragic it would be funny.
How could even the most
How could even the most feeble minded cnsituencey elect TCH? He is less useful that an amoeba.
And it was amazing to listen
And it was amazing to listen to Roger Helmer (EEP MEP - UK, East Midlands) on Radio 4 attacking the vote as a waste of time because the Council of Europe Switzerland rep Dick Marty had already reported much the same. Tendencious crap. Almost no-one pays any attention to the CoE, and almost no-one pretends it has any relevance in the great play. Helmer is the man who told his fellow MEP Bill Newton Dunn that he wouldn't get rid of his facial hair ever in protest against the way Readers Digest (Readers Digest?) treated him in Hong Kong. With that kind of awfully sad personal logic, who can doubt the bona fides of every East Midlands Conservative (who probably didn't know what sort of, er, loony, they were voting for - I look forward to his explanation in the next prospectus), and just how did this aberration survive reselection? By being anti all things europe, of course. Daniel Hannam and the others are much, much better at it.
With Kilroy Silk being the obvious sacrificial victim when the East Mids MEPs drop one at the next election, Roger seems assured of the gravy train for life. More pity the locals.
By the way, wasn't Roger chucked out of the EPP for being a bit too loony? Sounds like a William Hague fifth (should that be filth?) columnist/CO apparatchik, or what?
So, finally 'summut
So, finally 'summut establishment' has finally pointed the finger. When therefore can we expect prosecutions? I nominate Mr. Tony Blair for starters for breach of fundamental human rights and a number of European and domestic laws as well as for upholding activating the moral abyss.
All together now:...
Tony for trial today,
Tony for trial today,
our Tone for trial today.
But of course, nowt'll happen.
Perhaps that pointed finger isn't pointy enough?
I heard Helmer too. There
I heard Helmer too. There needs to be a close look at that one, he struck me as remarkably misguided, arrogant, stupid and ignorant even for a right-wing Tory.
I was under the impression
I was under the impression that the Scandinavian countries were complicit in rendition, yet they are not on the list.
Dick, They may have been
Dick,
They may have been complicit in other ways (abductions perhaps). That list is just the countries that allowed CIA flights on their soil or in their airspace.
It's certainly good that the
It's certainly good that the EU Parliament has approved such a report, but it's rather unfortunate that they have decided to water down criticism of individual nations complicity in these criminal actions.
Ah yes, it was on this very
Ah yes, it was on this very site. Denmark refuses rendition flights:
www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/356
Sweden rendered a couple of people to be tortured in the Middle East. At the time, the Swedish government was strikingly like New Labour - a former centre-left party run by a coterie of authoritarian, frustrated-priests who use PR to promote and disguise a strongly pro-corporate agenda. The bastards threw them to the wolves.
Unfortunately, the only way
Unfortunately, the only way to get the Labour block to vote for the report was to water down some of the criticisms. Labour was in the absurd position of wanting to vote for the report and at the same time terrified of the consequences of those criticisms, particularly because Britain was singled out as one of the worst offenders and the British government was spectacularly unhelpful in the investigation as we've seen with Buff Hoon.
It was always going to be the case that no prosecution or punishment would come out of this, but the acceptance of the report is damaging to Blair nonetheless because he denied all knowledge of rendition right from the beginning. All he can do now is say he doesn't want to talk about it which, ironically, speaks volumes.