Spain clears US of blame in CIA flight probe [View All]

[Eugene]

Spain clears US of blame in CIA flight probe

Thu Nov 24, 4:17 PM ET

MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish government, responding to allegations
that CIA planes used a Spanish airport as a base to transport Islamic
terrorism suspects, said on Thursday it was convinced U.S. aircraft
had broken no law.

However, it said it would step up checks on civilian planes that flew
over or stopped in Spanish territory to make sure they were
"exclusively civilian" flights.

Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos testified to a parliamentary
committee on the flights after news reports about them prompted
opposition parties to demand information from the government.

<snip>

"The government is convinced, based on the result of the investigation
carried out, that all the stops made in the framework of the Defense
Cooperation Agreement between Spain and the United States, as well as
stops by civilian planes ... were made in accordance with the law,"
Moratinos said.

<snip>

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051124/ts_nm/security_spain_cia_dc