FT.com - US seeks to shift EU focus from ‘secret prisons’
US seeks to shift EU focus from ‘secret prisons’
The US sought on Thursday to push ahead with its attempt to strengthen ties with Europe, in spite of the continuing furore over allegations that Washington has maintained secret prisons in the continent.
Speaking in Brussels, Dan Fried, the State Department’s senior official on European affairs, insisted that US treatment of prisoners conformed with international law and hailed the European Union’s growing engagement in regions such as the Middle East. “We have conducted our struggle against terrorism in accordance with our values and our international obligations and I’m quite confident that we have not violated international law,” said Mr Fried. He confirmed he had talked to Spanish authorities earlier this week about allegations that US aircraft carrying prisoners had stopped on Spanish territory.The controversy has spread since a report in the Washington Post this month alleged that the Central Intelligence Agency had used secret prisons in eastern Europe to house detainees. Poland and Romania have both denied hosting any such facilities.
CIA flights have also been reported as having touched down in countries such as Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland, while Finland and Germany have opened inquiries.
