Britain admits CIA rendition flights

LONDON—Britain voiced concern Thursday on being told that two US planes carrying terrorist suspects on “extraordinary rendition” flights had refuelled on British soil, despite earlier assurances to the contrary.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband was forced to apologise to parliament for a a US “record error” that had failed to show the planes refuelling on the British overseas territory of Diego Garcia in 2002.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on a visit to Brussels, said it was obviously a “very serious issue”. “The United States has expressed regret about us not knowing about these issues. We share the disappointment that everybody has about what actually happened,” Brown said.
“I think the important thing is now that we put in place the best possible procedures to ensure that this could not happen again.” Britain has previously maintained that its territory was not used for such flights, whereby suspects are transferred covertly to a third country or to US-run detention centres.
But it was named in a 2006 Council of Europe report as one of 14 European nations which had turned a “blind eye” to the practice by allowing CIA flights to use their airspace or airfields.
The flights started after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington after which US forces helped overthrow the Taliban government in Afghanistan as it stepped up the hunt for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Miliband told the lower House of Commons that the government had accepted the previous US information “in good faith”. But it had since been informed that two flights stopped to refuel at the US air base on the Indian Ocean territory twice in 2002.
Both planes were carrying one prisoner each. One is now being held at the US-run camp at Guantanamo Bay on Cuba, while the other was released. The detainees did not leave the plane during the transfer and the authorities in Washington said that prisoners “had never been held” on Diego Garcia, where there is a US air base.
Apologising that previous information given by ministers to parliament had been incorrect, Miliband said he had spoken about the issue to his US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
“We both agree that the mistakes made in these two cases are not acceptable and she shares my deep regret that this information has only just come to light,” he added. “The House (of Commons) and the government will share deep disappointment at this news and at its late emergence. That disappointment is shared by our US allies.”
Further checks would now be made of other flights to ensure they had not been used for rendition, he added. Labour Party lawmaker Mike Gapes, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairman, said the US government “has clearly misled or lied to our government”.
“I think the US administration has to bear in mind that this is the most serious matter and we do not wish to see it repeated,” he added. Human rights group Amnesty International welcomed Miliband’s apology but called for assurances that such flights would not use British airspace or facilities in the future.
“It is not enough for the government simply to accept US assurances on correct behaviour in the war on terror — we should retain our own integrity and act accordingly,” said Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen.
Two U.S. planes carrying terrorism suspects refueled at a U.S. base on the British Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia in 2002, Britain said on Thursday, contradicting earlier denials.
“Contrary to earlier explicit assurances that Diego Garcia had not been used for rendition flights, recent U.S. investigations have now revealed two occasions, both in 2002, when this had in fact occurred,” British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told parliament.
“In both cases a U.S. plane with a single detainee on board refueled at the U.S. facility in Diego Garcia,” he said.
The government had previously repeatedly insisted that it was not aware of any British territory being used to transfer terrorism suspects outside normal extradition procedures since U.S. President George W. Bush took office in 2001.—Agencies