EU Parliament to investigate CIA allegations

[IChing]

By Darren Ennis

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Parliament launched an investigation on Thursday into allegations that the CIA used EU countries for the illegal transport and detention of prisoners.

At a meeting in Brussels, leaders of the Parliament's seven political groups and assembly president Josep Borrell voted in favor of setting up a temporary committee consisting of 46 members to investigate the allegations.

The inquiry will have no legal powers, but the committee will recommend what political action should be taken against any countries found guilty of involvement, including the U.S.

The inquiry is to work in tandem with a probe by the Council of Europe, the 46-nation human rights watchdog, and has been given four months to carry out the investigation.>>>>>snip
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-01-12T171524Z_01_EIC262063_RTRUKOC_0_US-EU-PARLIAMENT-CIA.xml

[DavidDvorkin]

1. "No legal powers"

I couldn't tell from the article if they'll have some kind of subpoena power. That's fairly much essential in a case like this, I'd think.

[IChing]

2. The legal powers are for prosecution, I think.

It's LBN so there is little to address on it's powers, but the EU can investigate it's own.
We shall see, also 4 months is a good timeline vs years it would take the US to
investigate anything of it's own.

[IChing]

3. The thing about this is that it will be concluded before the 2006 election

Spain, Italy and other EU members investigations of US wrong doings has contradicted
the US regime's official spin.

ie. Palestinian Hotel hit, Italian agent's death

[maddezmom]

4. kick

[emad]

5. MEPs to study CIA jails claim

Richard Norton-Taylor
Friday January 13, 2006
The Guardian


Euro MPs are to investigate claims that the CIA detained suspected terrorists at secret prisons in eastern Europe. A committee of inquiry made up of 46 MEPs was set up yesterday to examine allegations that detainees have been held in Romania, Poland, or other countries.

The CIA's policy of taking suspects to countries where they might be at risk of ill-treatment, a practice known as extraordinary rendition, is already the subject of separate inquiries in Italy, Spain, Germany and by the Council of Europe.

Last week Swiss authorities were reported to have intercepted a message from Cairo to the Egyptian embassy in London, which reported that Egypt had established that the CIA had detained 23 terror suspects at a military base in Romania, and that similar centres existed in Ukraine, Kosovo, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Romania's interior minister, Vasil Blaga, has denied the claim.

MEP Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Strasbourg, said: "We need to examine all the evidence to see whether fundamental rights across the European Union have been respected." His fellow Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford added: "There is too much evidence to ignore."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1685558,00.html

[Stockholm]

6. Finally!

A lot of development money on the line here.