France investigates CIA flight stopover claims

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The French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that two flights chartered by the CIA made secret stops in France. The report comes as the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is preparing to address a controversy over reports of hidden CIA prisons in Europe.

Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to tour Europe next week. US officials have so far refused to confirm or deny the existence of the secret facilities. A French Foreign Ministry official, Jean Baptiste Mattei, said the government was investigating allegations that CIA planes made stopovers in Brest and near Paris.

"Apparently when they're in the flight ground you don't have all the details about the passengers on the plane," he said. "You have details about the crew, but not about the passengers.

"So I'm afraid we will have a limited number of information, but you know the rest we are trying to find out to know the more we can about those flights."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1522862.htm