Washington Times
by Nat Hentoff

12/19/05

For a time, during her closely scrutinized visit to Europe, the secretary of state had a credibility problem responding to growing concern about frequent air traffic by CIA planes over countries there. She denied that CIA 'renditions' of terrorism suspects to other countries involved torture. But a headline in the German publication Der Spiegel asked impolitely: 'Does anyone believe Condoleezza Rice?' Despite the increasing reports in the European press of CIA planes crisscrossing Europe, she repeatedly said, 'The United States does not transport, and has not transported, detainees from one country to another for the purpose of interrogation using torture.' Moreover, she declined to comment on charges by many journalists, including this one, that the CIA on its own has a network of secret interrogation centers in Europe. Yet, on Dec. 5, Brian Ross reported on ABC News that al Qaeda suspects in two secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe had been cleared out before Miss Rice's arrival, and the suspects were moved to a new hidden CIA facility in the North African desert...

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20051218-100758-7583r.htm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp