Progressive Talking Points 12/6/05

Facing the Truth on Secret Prisons

Far from achieving its stated purpose of "highlighting the enduring importance of transatlantic relations,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's trip to Europe has stirred a "trans-Atlantic uproar" over reports that the "CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al Qaeda captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe.” While the question about how best to treat possible terrorists remains a difficult one, the stories about secret prisons and mistaken renditions once again show the administration's desire to keep the terrorism fight out of public view.

• Secret Prisons May Land EU Countries in Trouble: The news of secret prisons caused an immediate reaction throughout Europe. Although The Washington Post did not reveal the names of the "several democracies in Eastern Europe" that reportedly housed the prisons, the European Union warned its member nations that if these reports were true there would be "extremely serious" consequences, "including the suspension of voting rights in the council." The United Kingdom's Jack Straw wrote Rice a letter asking for any "clarification the U.S. can give about these reports in the hope that this will allay parliamentary and public concerns."
  
  
• Rice Replies with More Definiance of Our Allies: In response to Straw's letter, Rice delivered a "condescending salvo to Europeans," saying, "We share intelligence that has helped protect European countries from attack, helping save European lives." While saying the "United States does not permit, tolerate, or condone torture under any circumstances," Rice said renditions "take terrorists out of action, and save lives." Rice added - as if Europeans needed reminding - that Europe faces threats from terrorism: "What I would hope that our allies would acknowledge is that we are all in this together. ... Very often these are not plots that are headed for the United States; they're headed for someplace in Europe."
  
  
• Difficult Questions Will Continue: Before boarding her flight to Europe, Rice addressed the issue in a prepared speech. The tone of the speech was tough and part of an administration effort to "put European governments on notice that they should back off and begin to emphasize the benefits of intelligence cooperation to their citizens." Rice did not explicitly admit to the existence of secret prisons, but said, "Some governments choose to cooperate with the United States in intelligence, law enforcement, or military matters. That cooperation is a two-way street." As she travels from Germany to Romania, Ukraine and Belgium, Rice will continue to face difficult questions about America's rendition policy specifically, and our methods in the fight against terrorism generally.