By Daisy Ayliffe - 12th June 2006
MEP’s report into allegations of illegal CIA activity is set to hit troubled waters when it is debated in plenary next month.
On Monday rapporteur Claudio Fava MEP had difficulty getting his interim report secured in committee.
The Italian faced nearly 200 last-minute amendments that had to be debated before the committee approved the final text.
The interim report was eventually agreed to- with 25 votes in favour, 14 against and seven abstentions.
“I am happy that the majority of MEPs on this committee support the report. But it is strange and surprising that the EPP-ED members continue to deny what the rest of the world acknowledges,” ALDE MEPs said in a statement on Monday.
“Illegal renditions do take place in Europe, international conventions have been breached and European citizens have been tortured with the awareness of European governments."
"Why don't the EPP members trust Condolezza Rice who has confirmed that these renditions have taken place in Europe?"
Socialists welcomed the victory, hailing it as a “vote of confidence” for the Fava report.
“This is a significant victory for rapporteur Fava and the efforts to strike a compromise,” socialist MEP Claude Moraes told this website.
“It was vital to get the interim report through. It is a staging post before the final report. This was a vote of confidence.”
EPP members will be looking to further amend the text when it reaches the floor of the house in July.
And as largest political group, in plenary they will be in a stronger position to attempt to do so.
Fava’s report accuses the CIA of kidnapping and illegally holding terrorism suspects on EU territory.
"In a number of cases, the CIA or other US services have been directly responsible for the illegal seizure, removal, abduction and detention of terrorist suspects on the territory of member states," the report approved late on Monday reads.
The findings echo those of the human rights body, the council of Europe and add to the embarrassment faced by European governments over their possible cooperation with Washington.
Most of Monday’s amendments were technical, although one called for further investigations into the alleged existence of a secret detention facility in Kosovo.
Another called on EU governments to "take a stronger stance on the closing of the detention centre in Guantanamo Bay and to take a pro-active role in finding a solution for detainees against whom no legal proceedings will be brought."
Guantanamo attack
EU foreign ministers also offered a robust criticism of Guantanamo at a gathering in Luxembourg on Monday.
Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik, whose country holds the EU presidency urged the US to close Guantanmo as a matter of urgency.
"We have emphasized over and again that from our point of view the government of the US should take measures to close Guantanamo as quickly as possible," she said.
"For a country like the US, committed to freedom, to the rule of law and to due process, this is an anomaly."
The European commission said recent suicides at the detention centre only underscored its view of the camp.
"Guantanamo should be closed. This is an occasion to reiterate that statement," External relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told reporters.
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