MEPs confirm mandate and membership of CIA 'extraordinary rendition' committee

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 19th Jan 2006

Yesterday the European Parliament endorsed the mandate of the temporary committee to investigate alleged CIA extraordinary rendition practices and 'torture flights' in several European countries. Today the Parliament has approved the composition of the 46-Member committee.

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman, is the nominee from the ALDE group to be 1st vice-chair of the committee. Commenting on the mandate she said:

"This must not be a talking-shop.We must be very organised to deliver our interim report within 4 months. We have the very serious task of discovering if EU, candidate or associate states have committed human rights abuses and to recommend action, up to loss of voting rights for EU states."

"Pinning down the facts will be a challenge. We may not get a rush of EU governments eager to assist us, but they would be unwise to attempt a cover-up. Today's revelation of the FCO-No 10 spin strategy appears to confirm that there is indeed fire behind the smoke."

Notes to Editors

The ALDE (European Liberals and Democrats) group will have six full members:

Sarah Ludford (UK), Alexander Alvaro (Germany), Ignasi Guardans (Spain), Sophie In't Veld (Netherlands), Cecilia Malmström (Sweden), Janusz Onyszkiewicz (Poland)

and six substitutes:

Sajjad Karim (UK), Henrik Lax (Finland), Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert Netherlands), Giulietta Chiesa (Italy), Alexander Graaf Lambsdorff (Germany), István Szent-Ivanyi (Hungary)