EU: Hard to justify abductions/secret prisons and call yourself a democracy
defensenews: EU Lawmakers Seek Probe of CIA Actions in Europe
Political condemnation of alleged CIA detention camps in Europe and so-called extraordinary rendition, or abduction and interrogation, of hostages abroad continues to roil the European Union. EU officials harshly criticized the U.S. policy, while members of the European Parliament are calling for an inquiry into CIA activities in Europe.
Meeting Germany's new chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted Dec. 6 that "in the political area, mistakes sometimes happen," in reference to the CIA's abduction in Macedonia in 2003 of a vacationing German citizen of Lebanese descent, who is now suing former CIA officials for his detention and torture in Afghanistan.
But neither Rice's statement - which Merkel said she took as an apology - nor other recent explanations by U.S. officials appear to have calmed the political waters here in the Belgian capital, where Rice arrives later this week to meet EU and NATO officials.
"This has been very damaging to the United States' image as a defender of democracy and human rights," an EU diplomat said Dec. 7. "Whatever the security need for such practices, they're very hard, if not impossible, to justify and still call yourself a democracy." Read more
Political condemnation of alleged CIA detention camps in Europe and so-called extraordinary rendition, or abduction and interrogation, of hostages abroad continues to roil the European Union. EU officials harshly criticized the U.S. policy, while members of the European Parliament are calling for an inquiry into CIA activities in Europe.
Meeting Germany's new chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted Dec. 6 that "in the political area, mistakes sometimes happen," in reference to the CIA's abduction in Macedonia in 2003 of a vacationing German citizen of Lebanese descent, who is now suing former CIA officials for his detention and torture in Afghanistan.
But neither Rice's statement - which Merkel said she took as an apology - nor other recent explanations by U.S. officials appear to have calmed the political waters here in the Belgian capital, where Rice arrives later this week to meet EU and NATO officials.
"This has been very damaging to the United States' image as a defender of democracy and human rights," an EU diplomat said Dec. 7. "Whatever the security need for such practices, they're very hard, if not impossible, to justify and still call yourself a democracy." Read more
posted by exoplanet at 10:33 PM
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