Britain: US 'can't be trusted on torture'

Britain: US 'can't be trusted on torture'

www.news.com.au

THE British government should no longer accept US assurances that it does not use torture, a parliamentary oversight committee said today in a wide-ranging report looking at London's human rights policy.

Ministers have previously taken at face value statements from their US counterparts, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President George W. Bush, that Washington does not resort to such practices.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, well... even some allies are starting to wonder about the unusual interrogation methods that US has been using?

It seems like it's time that Team America World Police is starting to lose favour, even amongst its own bed-fellows.

Not that I would trust what the British are doing, anyway...

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

So I read the linked article:

Mr Miliband's position has "serious implications" for government policy, the committee said in its 214-page Human Rights Annual Report 2007-8.

"We conclude that, given the clear differences in definition, the UK can no longer rely on US assurances that it does not use torture, and we recommend that the government does not rely on such assurances in the future," it said.

And I downloaded the report:

United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office - Human Rights Annual Report 2007 (Presented March 2008)

But I couldn't find that quote anywhere within the document. Am I reading the correct report, or is there another report or testimony they're referring to?

Ah, bingo! The quote is from the Foreign Affair's Committee's response to the previously-linked report:

House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee: Human Rights Annual Report 2007


Edit: LOL at page 23, section 49... what an obliquely obvious condemnation.


[edit on 20-7-2008 by Ian McLean]

The Foreign Affairs Committee is independent of the executive. All the committee do is give recommendations, advice and analysis policy decisions/positions.

Government is considering increasing their powers, but the process is currently at consultation stage.

The title is misleading, this isn't the British state condemning the United States.

I would agree but prefer that the term US be replaced by 'The Bush Administration" Only the mindless Bush zalots support these type of activities

About time the British Government was given a wake-up call about this.

They should all log on to ATS and find out this stuff months before they have to wait for a commission to tell them!!

Peace

Can we please deport Abu Hamza to the US before this all gets out of hand.
If we don't he'll be a pain in our necks forever.
Link on Hamza:en.wikipedia.org...