Britain Admits Awareness of CIA Prisons [View All]

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The British foreign secretary admitted Friday that her government was aware of a secret CIA prison network before President Bush acknowledged its existence in September.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett made the admission in a written response to a parliamentary question.

A a recent speech, Bush included a reference to the ``existence of a detention program operated by the CIA.'' Bush said 14 high-value detainees - including the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed - had been transferred from clandestine centers to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

``Prior to this speech, we were aware of the existence of a secret U.S. detention program only in general terms,'' Beckett said in response to a lawmaker's question.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6358269,00.html