Press Interpreter

12/02/05 -- “It is quite possible that there were flights,� Jean-Baptiste Mattéi the spokesperson of the Foreign Minister declared on Friday. This refers to the allegations in this week’s Figaro, concerning stop-overs in France of aeroplanes chartered by the CIA to transport Islamist prisoners.

“There are days on which certain planes which have taken off from France. As for the conclusions to be drawn there are various options,� he said. “We have taken note of the indications in the press concerning these two flights, which have been chartered by the CIA. We are in the process of verifying this information with the services concerned, principally with the civil aviation service� he added. “the question is to know what these planes are transporting,� the spokesman from the Quai d’Orsay reiterated.

“We are waiting for some explanations.�
He reminded that the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Jack Straw, whose country takes the revolving presidency of the European Union, has demanded an explanation for these flights into Europe, in the name of the EU, in a letter addressed to his American counterpart Condoleezza Rice. “We are waiting for the American authorities, to give use some explanations in a general manner about this business of these overflights. Ms Rice has indicated that they would do that at the time of their visit to Europe next week� said Mr Mattéi. The American Secretary of State, who will leave on Monday 5th December, for a tour of 5 days in Europe which will successively take her to Germany, Romania, Ukraine and Belgium. The United States have promised on Wednesday to give a “timely� and “direct� response, to the Europeans.

According to Le Figaro, a dual engined Learjet took off from Keflavik, in Iceland, towards the airport of Brest-Guipavas (west), from where it would have taken off again for Turkey, on 31st March 2002. The second flight arrived on 20th July 2005 at the airport of Paris-Le Bourget having come from Oslo, reported Le Figaro, quoting from the Norwegian weekly Ny Tid. This had been concerning a Gulfstream III.

News was published in the American and European press in February about those suspected of terrorism which the CIA sent by plane to countries in which they risked torture, including Egypt, Morocco or Syria, after having flown over or stopped over in European airports. Moreover, the CIA are in the hot seat by reason of the suspected existence of secret detention camps in Eastern Europe.

By AFP

--Translated by Katherine Apps

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