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August 29, 2005

Copenhagen Post - Home Page (English)

The American Central Intelligence Agency can no longer use Danish airspace for flights to transport suspected terrorists around the world.

The government has told the United States that it is opposed to the unauthorized flights, Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller said.

Per Stig Møller

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made it quite clear to U.S. officials that Denmark does not want its airspace used for purposes that are in conflict with international conventions,” wrote Møller, in response to an inquiry from Frank Aaen, the Red-Green Alliance military affairs spokesman [a Danish political Party].

Reports surfaced in May that civilian aircraft secretly registered to the CIA had been sighted over Denmark. Human rights organizations claim that the planes are used to transport terror suspects to places where torture is conducted.

Møller had originally denied that the government had knowledge of transports taking place in Danish airspace that violate “international conventions.”

Aaen, however, said he remained unsatisfied with the ministry's statement.

“The government must have discovered a problem with the apparent misuse of Danish airspace by Denmark's close ally. Nevertheless, the government continues to use cautious language in the hope that no one will notice. It would benefit the government if it clearly rejected such flights instead of singing a half-finished song,” Aaen said.