EU to interview Ahern

The European Parliament's committee investigating CIA renditions has announced it intends to interview the Minsiter for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, and the Attorney General, Rory Brady, later this year.

In an interim report endorsed by the parliament earlier this month, the committee found that CIA agents had been "directly responsible [for] illegal seizure, removal, abduction and detention of terrorist suspects on the territory of member states" and said that some member states "may be held liable" for human rights violations and failing "to ascertain whether their territory and their airspace" had been used by the CIA.

The committee's work for the second half of the year will focus on whether member states have been "involved or complicit in illegal deprivation of liberty of individuals – including abduction, rendition, transfer, detention or torture – either by act or ommission". It hopes to interview Dermot Ahern and Rory Brady, amongst officials from other European countries which have been linked to renditions, as part of this investigation. It will publish a final report in early 2007.

Colin Murphy