Reply #3: Here's the letter in English, released by the State Department

[muriel_volestrangler]

(presumably the original language, so this won't have a double translation, though I can't see any significant difference):

"Dear Secretary,

"As the president of the Council of European Union, I am writing to you on behalf of the European Union, following media reports suggesting violations of international law in the alleged US detention or transportation of terrorist suspects in or through EU member states.

"This matter was discussed by EU foreign ministers at the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on November 21.

"The reports have attracted considerable parliamentary and public attention.

"The European Union will therefore be grateful for clarification the US can give about these reports in the hope that this will allay parliamentary and public concerns.

"I am sharing a copy of this letter with my European colleagues.

"Your sincerely,

"Jack Straw"

http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read.html?id=5497

Yes, it does read like "please tell us something soothing so that people will shut up about this". Straw is far too close to Rice. I strongly suspect that people in the UK government know exactly where the prisons are, and who some of the people in them are; and may well have known when the flights refuelled in the UK. Whether Straw knows I don't know - he might have rather not known, to protect himself in case it became public.