CIA secret flights report approved by European committee

A special committee of the European Parliament today approved a report alleging Britain, Poland, Germany, Italy and other EU nations were aware of secret CIA flights over Europe and the abduction of terror suspects by US agents into clandestine detention centres.

The report, the conclusion to a year of investigation by the committee into questionable CIA activities in Europe, also accuses EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and other high-ranking officials of not co-operating with the investigation and not revealing all they know about the US secret detention programme.

In a crucial amendment pushed through by conservative politicians, the report says that, based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, it was not possible to prove that CIA secret prisons were based in Poland, an allegation that prompted the probe in November 2005.

The report, backed by centre-left and liberal deputies and rejected by conservatives, will be voted upon by the entire 785-member European Parliament in mid-February.