Turkey Allowed U.S. 'Extraordinary Rendition': WikiLeaks

[Hissyspit]

Source: Economic Times

17 JAN, 2011, 07.29PM IST

Turkey allowed US 'extraordinary rendition': WikiLeaks

BERLIN: The US secret services used Turkey as a base to transport terrorism " suspects as part of its extraordinary rendition programme, German daily Die Welt reported today citing a WikiLeaks cable.

Some 24 CIA flights landed at Incirlik airport in southern Turkey between 2002 and 2006 with the knowledge of the Turkish military, according to a cable from the US embassy in Ankara dated June 8, 2006, the paper said.

"The Turkish military has since 2002 allowed us to use Incirlik as a refuelling stop for prisoner transport flights from 'Operation Fundamental Justice', but revoked permission in February this year," said the cable, referring to the rendition programme.

Die Welt published excerpts from the cable in German. On June 14, 2006, a spokesman for Turkey's foreign ministry, Namik Tan, told reporters: "The Turkish government and state never played a part (in the secret transfers) ... and never will."

Read more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topics.cms?query=turkey

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http://www.thenation.com/blog/157814/wikileaks-news-views-blog-monday-day-51

Greg Mitchell at The Nation:

10:50  I noted below  at 9:00 a tip from my friend at Aftenposten that his paper had shared its cache of cable with Germany's Die Welt.  And now we see that the German paper is publishing a bombshell:  "The US secret services used Turkey as a base to transport terrorism  suspects as part of its extraordinary rendition programme, German daily Die Welt reported today citing a WikiLeaks cable.

 "Some 24 CIA flights landed at Incirlik airport in southern Turkey between 2002 and 2006 with the knowledge of the Turkish military, according to a cable from the US embassy in Ankara dated June 8, 2006, the paper said.  'The Turkish military has since 2002 allowed us to use Incirlik as a refuelling stop for prisoner transport flights from 'Operation Fundamental Justice', but revoked permission in February this year,' said the cable, referring to the rendition programme.

"On June 14, 2006, a spokesman for Turkey's foreign ministry, Namik Tan, told reporters: 'The Turkish government and state never played a part (in the secret transfers) ... and never will.'"