LISBON, Portugal, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The European Parliament is to invite Portugal's Foreign Minister Luis Amado this week to discuss Central Intelligence Agency rendition flights.
The European Parliament is concerned about reports that the CIA covertly transported alleged terrorist suspects through European Union airspace. The Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias reported Monday that the president of the provisional commission. Carlos Coelho said the invitation to Amado would be issued during a plenary session of the European Parliament, which is meeting this week in Strasbourg.
Coelho said he would ask was for missing papers as he is already received a letter signed by the former Portuguese foreign minister about the CIA covert flights, "but only half had been sent."
The European Parliament provisional commission is interested in investigating whether the CIA used European bases to carry terrorist suspects to in detention centers in unknown destinations. The concerns were based on the possibility that the CIA rendition flights suspects may have subsequently been tortured.
A June report from the Council of Europe noted that Portugal was one of 14 European countries that apparently cooperated with the CIA in authorizing rendition flights through its territory for terror suspects held by the U.S. government.
