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French airports ‘apparently not’ used by CIA

PARIS, Dec 7 (AFP) – French airports were “apparently not” used by CIA planes transporting undeclared prisoners, but doubts remain concerning certain flights, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Wednesday.

Asked on Europe 1 radio whether French airports were used by CIA-chartered flights, as reported by a French newspaper last week, Alliot-Marie replied: “Apparently not”.

“We are trying to find out, but nothing makes us think so at this point,” she added.

Alliot-Marie added however that “there is a doubt concerning two civilian flights that travelled from Oslo to an eastern European country,” and which may have made stopovers in France.

“In any event, the CIA mainly used American bases in Europe. There are no American bases in France,” she told the radio.

Le Figaro newspaper reported last week that CIA flights, which may have carried undeclared Islamic extremist suspects to secret detention centres, made at least two stopovers in France, in 2002 and 2005.

Reports of secret CIA interrogation centers in Europe and transport flights for terrorist suspects across the continent have sparked an uproar in Europe.

US officials have refused to confirm or deny the existence of the prisons or secret flights while maintaining Washington’s right to defend itself against terrorists.

Copyright AFP

Subject: French news