Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-12-14-Speech-3-115"
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"en.20051214.14.3-115"2
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".
Mr President, over the last few weeks we have heard and read a lot about the alleged use of European airspace, airports and countries by the United States in its global war on terror, so I welcome this afternoon’s debate. It allows this Parliament to discuss one of the fundamental issues facing European governments and institutions in the 21st century: the balance to be struck between security and liberty in a world characterised in part by mass-casualty terrorism.
Secretary of State Rice’s statement of 5 December makes clear that the policy of the United States Government is to comply with the UN Convention against Torture, that the United States Government complies with its Constitution, its laws and its Treaty obligations. She goes on to say that acts of physical or mental torture are expressly prohibited, that the United States Government does not authorise or condone torture of detainees and that torture and conspiracy to commit torture are crimes under US law wherever they may occur in the world.
The Council welcomes this statement. It is right that the word of another sovereign government – expressed so clearly on such an important issue – is respected within a larger discussion on the balance between security and liberty. As Secretary of State Rice herself said on 5 September, that debate in and among democracies is natural and healthy. That must be right and this Parliament can and has made a contribution to that debate.
I understand that, in the light of the allegations, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe has requested from the Member States of that international organisation an explanation of how they ensure the effective implementation of the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. I am sure that Member States will want to cooperate with the Council of Europe. Informed exchanges on issues like this are important, including for the benefit of our people who look to their governments and institutions for a lead.
I look forward to hearing your views and those of Commissioner Frattini on this important subject.
I hope the debate will help illuminate the key issues involved, including how to tackle the unprecedented threat we all face from international terrorism, how to ensure respect for the international rule of law at the same time, and how every day Member States have to take hard decisions to maintain the balance between security and liberty and take responsibility for those decisions. I hope too that the debate can demonstrate respect for the word of other governments, the benefits of informed discussion and a sense of proportion. In so doing, Parliament will be able to make a valuable and credible contribution to the larger debate about how to safeguard our security and liberty simultaneously.
As honourable Members of this Parliament will know, allegations have been made in the European and international media and elsewhere concerning US detention facilities in Europe and the use of aircraft to transfer terrorist suspects between countries in order to interrogate them using torture and ill-treatment. These reports prompted discussion amongst European Union Foreign Ministers at the General Affairs Council meeting on 21 November. As a result, the Presidency wrote on 29 November to the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, on behalf of European Union partners, seeking the views of the United States Government on these allegations.
On 5 December the United States Secretary of State made a detailed public statement on the matter in advance of her visit to Europe. The Presidency has forwarded that reply to European Union colleagues and I have today provided a copy of the reply to President Borrell Fontelles.
Some European Union colleagues were able to discuss this matter with Secretary of State Rice last week in Brussels. The United Kingdom has expressed its satisfaction with the US statement. I understand some other European Union colleagues have also made public comments upon the statement by Secretary of State Rice. The Council welcomes the detailed statement by the US Secretary of State, for all European countries share the determination of the United States to protect innocent citizens from the threat of terrorism, while operating within international law.
Let us be clear about the threat our people face from the modern terrorist. Europe has faced terrorism for many years. I do not need to relate the names of the organisations and individuals concerned, but none of us have had to face the kind of threat we face – now and in the long term – from al-Qa’ida and its supporters.
Modern terrorism means mass-casualty attacks. We have seen them in New York, Washington, Istanbul, Madrid, and recently in London and in numerous other cities around the world. Honourable Members will recall that, just a few years ago, Strasbourg was also the target of a thwarted attack. Today we are exposed to fanatical suicide attacks on innocent civilians using modern techniques and technology previously confined to states but now available to individuals on the internet. That is a picture we face for the foreseeable future. Our people need protecting against it; our governments have a clear responsibility to provide that protection. It is a responsibility that requires governments to make difficult decisions, take concrete action and explain and defend those decisions and that action.
The European security strategy adopted in 2003 emphasised that transnational terrorism and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction pose a threat we cannot ignore. However, at the same time, in seeking responses to these new challenges, it is essential that the rule of law and the human rights of individuals are respected.
The question of torture is a key element of this debate. Torture is abhorrent. The prohibition against it is absolute. The British Government – like all European governments – unreservedly condemns it. We never use it; we never instigate or condone it; we condemn it utterly, and we work hard with others to eradicate it."@en1
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