it never bothered anybody when SlickWillie was doing it...
Posted on 12/18/2005 5:02:03 PM PST by Daralundy
LONDON (Reuters) - Rendition, the controversial practice of moving terrorism suspects from one country to another, is not new and European governments should not be surprised by it, Colin Powell said on Saturday.
The former U.S. Secretary of State was speaking to the BBC after his successor, Condoleezza Rice was forced to defend the practice during a recent trip to Europe.
The trip was overshadowed by allegations that the Central Intelligence Agency ran secret prisons in eastern Europe and covertly transferred suspects via European airports.
"Most of our European friends cannot be shocked that this kind of thing takes place," Powell told BBC World.
"The fact that we have, over the years, had procedures in place that would deal with people who are responsible for terrorist activities, or suspected of terrorist activities.
"And so the thing that is called rendition is not something that is new or unknown to my European friends."
Rice also said rendition was a decades-old instrument used by the United States when local governments could not detain or prosecute a suspect, and traditional extradition was not an option.
In such cases, that government could make a sovereign choice to cooperate in a rendition, she said.
Powell also defended the U.S. against charges that it was unilateralist, but acknowledged it did not have a good image around the world at the moment and was going through a period where "public opinion world-wide is against us".
"I think that's a function of some of the policies we have followed in recent years with respect to Iraq and in not solving the Middle East's problem and perhaps the way in which we have communicated our views to the rest of the world," he said.
"We have created an impression that we are unilateralist, we don't care what the rest of the world thinks.
"I don't think it's a fair impression."
it never bothered anybody when SlickWillie was doing it...
So what are we exactly supposed to do with the terrorists since we're not supposed to keep them locked up at Gitmo and now we're not supposed to send them to other countries to receive their just desserts? Keep them up at the local Holiday Inn, complete with room service and cable, or just turn them loose so that they can kill more innocent people again. Good grief! What is wrong with these people???????
Its always OK when they do it. Castro could execute half of Cuba on TV and the left would find a way to justify it.
It is also reassuring to see that Powell is trying to sneak back onto the Iraq Victory Express. Things must really be looking up in Iraq if he has stopped trying to distance himself from the war. Only a few months ago presenting our case for war to the UN was the shameful low point of his carrier.
Oh, did I spell something incorrectly?
This rat played the game.......... ONLY for himself!
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