Madrid - Spain's former government authorized US flights
transporting terrorist suspects to make stopovers in Spain, and
tried to keep the illegal flights secret, the daily El Pais reported
Monday.
El Pais on Sunday published a top secret Foreign Ministry
document dating from 2002 and showing that the United States had
requested permission for CIA flights to make 'emergency landings' in
Spain.
The document clearly states that the flights transported Taliban
and al-Qaeda prisoners from Afghanistan to the US military base in
Guantanamo, Cuba.
Then prime minister Jose Maria Aznar's conservative government
granted the permission within 24 hours, according to the daily.
Aware that the flights were illegal, the Aznar government
recommended that they use the 'discreet' airports of Moron de la
Frontera and Rota, two US military bases in Spain, the daily said.
Both the former and the current Socialist governments have denied
knowledge of anything illegal having occurred on US flights via
Spain.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Aznar's
People's Party (PP) had not informed the Socialist government about
an authorization given to the US to transport prisoners.
Moratinos announced an internal investigation into the affair.
Spain's National Court is currently investigating alleged CIA
flights via Spain.
The government has handed the court documents on 11 flights to or
from Guantanamo making stopovers in Spain - and 13 others which used
the Spanish airspace - between 2002 and 2005.
Spain was one among several countries from which Washington
requested permission for prisoner transport in 2002, according to El
Pais. The other countries included Turkey, Italy and Portugal.
Former foreign minister Josep Pique, who allegedly was aware of
the permission granted to the US, declined to comment immediately on
the El Pais report.
A Council of Europe 2006 report named Spain as one among several
countries having allowed secret US flights carrying terrorist
suspects.
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