U.K.: Rendition Flights Landed On Our Soil

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband admitted Thursday that two American "extraordinary rendition" flights carrying terror suspects stopped at the British territory of Diego Garcia.

The government had previously insisted it had no evidence to support allegations that Britain had been involved in rendition, the U.S. program of secretly transporting terror suspects.

Miliband apologized to members of Parliament, saying U.S. officials have only just confirmed to him last week that such flights have twice landed on British soil, contradicting previous U.S. government assurances.

The planes refueled at a military base operated jointly by the U.S. and U.K. located on the British Indian Ocean territory. One flight was headed to the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, the other to Morocco.

Miliband says neither of the two men being transported was a British resident or citizen. One is still being detained at Guantanamo, and the other has been released.

Under its agreement with the U.K. granting the U.S. rights to use the island, the U.S. government is supposed to ask permission for such flights, but assurances were given to Britain that no such flights had taken place, which led to earlier misleading statements made by former Prime Minister Tony Blair and former foreign secretary Jack Straw.

Miliband said the Americans had assured him that no U.S. detainees had been held on Diego Garcia or at any other U.K. territory.

Nevertheless, Miliband told Parliament, "I have asked my officials to compile a list of all the flights where we have been alerted to concerns regarding rendition through the U.K. or our overseas territories. Once this is ready we will be sending this list to the U.S. and seeking their specific assurance that none of these flights were used for rendition purposes."

He also underscored that Britain expects in the future that the U.S. will seek prior permission when transporting detainees through U.K. territory and airspace, and that permission would only be granted "if we are satisfied that the rendition would accord with U.K. law and our international obligations, and how we understand our obligations under the U.N. Convention Against Torture."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he "shared the disappointment that everybody has" about the stops. Brown, speaking in Brussels, Belgium, said he had just been informed.

"The important thing now is we put in place the best possible procedures to ensure that this will not happen again," he said.

Miliband said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shared his concern: "We both agree that the mistakes made in these two cases are not acceptable and she shares my deep regret that this information has only just come to light," he said.

Conservative Party member and shadow foreign secretary William Hague said the revelation will give rise to "widespread concern" given past assurances that no such renditions had taken place.

In December 2005, Rice said that the U.S. respects the sovereignty of other nations, and "does not use the airspace or the airports of any country for the purpose of transporting a detainee to a country where he or she will be tortured."