Czech Interior, Defence Ministries know nothing about CIA flights
Prague(CTK)- The Interior Ministry and the Defence Ministry know nothing about the alleged CIA planes' landings in the Czech Republic, their spokespersons said.
The Defence Ministry follows military transports via the Czech Republic and regularly informs the government and the parliament about them, Jan Pesek from the ministry press department said.
The Defence Ministry stated the same in its answer to a letter by the government security committee that asked it to express its position on the Czech Amnesty International (AI) allegation that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) repeatedly transported captives under the veil of civilian flights and made stop-overs in Prague by Wednesday.
The military does not monitor landings and take-offs of planes with civilian registration from Czech airports, Pesek said.
The Interior Ministry has no information about any illegal air transportations of captives via Czech territory, its spokeswoman Radka Kovarova said. If the police had such suspicions it could have intervened, she said.
Last week, the Transport Ministry described the allegation as speculation.
Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda did not confirm the AI information either.
The Transport Ministry said that possible landings and take-offs of planes with civilian registration from Czech airports would be no violation of the international civil aviation convention by either the USA or the Czech Republic.
According to the AI's information, three planes with captives suspected of terrorism aboard landed 20 times in Prague. The Americans transferred the captives to questioning or to prisons in the countries where they could be tortured, AI said.
AI maintains that CIA has abused the aviation routine and trade agreements to transfer captives, which is at variance with international law.
According to AI, a Boeing 737-7ET, no N3139-N4476S, landed and took off six times in the Czech Republic, Gulfstream V registered as N379P, N8068V and N44982 landed and took off 11 times and Gulfstream IV, no N85VM-N227SV made three stop-overs in the Czech Republic.
It can be assumed from the testimonies by three transported Yemenis that the prisoners of war ended up in Djibouti, Afghanistan or eastern Europe.
The New York Times wrote last year that a plane with CIA prisoners suspected of terrorism left Prague for Uzbekistan in the summer of 2003.
According to the Czech commercial television channels Prima and Nova, a Boeing with CIA prisoners landed at Prague-Ruzyne airport on May 6 last year as well.
The Defence Ministry follows military transports via the Czech Republic and regularly informs the government and the parliament about them, Jan Pesek from the ministry press department said.
The Defence Ministry stated the same in its answer to a letter by the government security committee that asked it to express its position on the Czech Amnesty International (AI) allegation that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) repeatedly transported captives under the veil of civilian flights and made stop-overs in Prague by Wednesday.
The military does not monitor landings and take-offs of planes with civilian registration from Czech airports, Pesek said.
The Interior Ministry has no information about any illegal air transportations of captives via Czech territory, its spokeswoman Radka Kovarova said. If the police had such suspicions it could have intervened, she said.
Last week, the Transport Ministry described the allegation as speculation.
Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda did not confirm the AI information either.
The Transport Ministry said that possible landings and take-offs of planes with civilian registration from Czech airports would be no violation of the international civil aviation convention by either the USA or the Czech Republic.
According to the AI's information, three planes with captives suspected of terrorism aboard landed 20 times in Prague. The Americans transferred the captives to questioning or to prisons in the countries where they could be tortured, AI said.
AI maintains that CIA has abused the aviation routine and trade agreements to transfer captives, which is at variance with international law.
According to AI, a Boeing 737-7ET, no N3139-N4476S, landed and took off six times in the Czech Republic, Gulfstream V registered as N379P, N8068V and N44982 landed and took off 11 times and Gulfstream IV, no N85VM-N227SV made three stop-overs in the Czech Republic.
It can be assumed from the testimonies by three transported Yemenis that the prisoners of war ended up in Djibouti, Afghanistan or eastern Europe.
The New York Times wrote last year that a plane with CIA prisoners suspected of terrorism left Prague for Uzbekistan in the summer of 2003.
According to the Czech commercial television channels Prima and Nova, a Boeing with CIA prisoners landed at Prague-Ruzyne airport on May 6 last year as well.
posted by Marko at 4/12/2006 07:42:00 AM
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