In a bitter political duel over new anti-terror legislation, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday that he would make no further concessions to opposition demands for milder laws to control terrorist suspects.
The dispute provoked a heated showdown in Parliament between Blair and Michael Howard, leader of the opposition Conservatives, with each man accusing the other of seeking political gain by appearing tough on terrorism in advance of elections expected in May.
The debate has a more immediate impact, however, as parts of the current anti-terror laws expire next Monday. Home Secretary Charles Clarke warned that without new laws, 11 foreigners being held without trial or charge at Belmarsh Prison in London would be freed. The men reportedly include Abu Qatada, a Syrian Muslim cleric accused of acting as a spiritual mentor to Mohamed Atta, one of the Sept. 11 hijackers.
The men were detained under anti-terror laws written after the Sept. 11 attacks. But, last December, Britain's highest court ruled that the indefinite detention of the men violated European human rights conventions.
At the core of the argument is the degree to which Britain's effort to thwart terrorists justifies the suspension of centuries-old liberties.
Blair has been seeking Parliament's approval for a law that would permit the home secretary to issue so-called control orders to restrict the movement of terror suspects through measures including house arrest.
Following debates in the House of Lords this week, the Blair government has offered concessions, notably provisions for judges to be consulted on the use of control orders and for the legislation to be reviewed each year.
But the House of Lords went further, voting in favor of opposition demands for a deadline to replace the law by November and for stricter criteria for control orders to be issued only in cases where there was a "balance of probability" that a suspect was a terrorist.
The government wants a lower standard, "grounds for suspicion."
The votes were particularly embarrassing for Blair as 24 peers from his Labor Party vote against the party's wishes. They included the former lord chancellor, Lord Irvine, widely known as the prime minister's erstwhile mentor.
"We have made concessions we think are reasonable," Blair said Wednesday. "I hope that satisfies people."
Senior police officers have said in recent days that hundreds of potential terrorists are in Britain, and some antiterrorism expects have expressed fear of an attack ahead of the coming British election, as happened in Madrid last March 11, three days before Spain's election.
"Should any terrorist act occur, there will not be a debate about civil liberties," Blair said Wednesday. Saying the police and security services have urged him not to dilute the proposal, he said: "There would be debate about the advice the government received and whether they followed it. I've got the advice, I intend to follow it," he said.
A ship that appears to be taking on the identity of a scrapped gas carrier exited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, showing how strategies to get through the waterway are evolving as the Middle East war progresses. The vessel identifying as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Jamal left the Strait on Friday morning, ship-tracking data show. However, the same tanker was also recorded as having beached at an Indian demolition yard in October last year, where it is being broken up, according to market participants and port agent’s reports. The ship claiming to be Jamal is likely a zombie vessel that
Japan is to downgrade its description of ties with China from “one of its most important” in an annual diplomatic report, according to a draft reviewed by Reuters, as relations with Beijing worsen. This year’s Diplomatic Bluebook, which Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government is expected to approve next month, would instead describe China as an important neighbor and the relationship as “strategic” and “mutually beneficial.” The draft cites a series of confrontations with Beijing over the past year, including export controls on rare earths, radar lock-ons targeting Japanese military aircraft and increased pressure around Taiwan. The shift in tone underscores a deterioration
LAW CONSTRAINTS: The US has been pressing allies to send warships to open the Strait, but Tokyo’s military actions are limited under its postwar pacifist constitution Japan could consider deploying its military for minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is reached in the war on Iran, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi said yesterday. “If there were to be a complete ceasefire, hypothetically speaking, then things like minesweeping could come up,” Motegi said. “This is purely hypothetical, but if a ceasefire were established and naval mines were creating an obstacle, then I think that would be something to consider.” Japan’s military actions are limited under its postwar pacifist constitution, but 2015 security legislation allows Tokyo to use its Self-Defense Forces overseas if an attack,
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) yesterday faced a regional election battle in Rhineland-Palatinate, now held by the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). Merz’s CDU has enjoyed a narrow poll lead over the SPD — their coalition partners at the national level — who have ruled the mid-sized state for 35 years. Polling third is the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which spells a greater threat to the two centrist parties in several state elections in September in the country’s ex-communist east. The picturesque state of Rhineland-Palatinate, bordering France, Belgium and Luxembourg and with a population of about 4 million,
RSS