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UK admits rendition flights used base

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said yesterday that two extraordinary rendition flights landed at the British Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia in 2002 to refuel.

Miliband said US officials had not informed Britain about the flights until recently.

"Contrary to earlier explicit assurances that Diego Garcia had not been used for rendition flights, recent US investigations have now revealed two occasions, both in 2002, when this had in fact occurred," Miliband told parliament.

SIGLE DETAINNE

"In both cases a US plane with a single detainee on board refuelled at the US facility in Diego Garcia," he said.

The government had previously insisted it had no evidence to support allegations that Britain had been involved in rendition -- the US program of secretly transporting terror suspects.

Washington has admitted to using the practice.

Miliband said he was "very sorry indeed" to have to correct earlier government denials on the basis of new information passed to Britain by the US government on Feb. 15.

"An error in the earlier US records search meant that these cases did not come to light," he said.

His admission drew angry criticism from legislators.

Miliband said neither of the two men was a British resident or citizen.

One is being detained at Guantanamo Bay, and the other has been released.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he "shared the disappointment that everybody has" about the stops. Brown, speaking in Brussels, Belgium, said he had just been informed.

PROCEDURES

"The important thing now is we put in place the best possible procedures to ensure that this will not happen again," he said.

British police said last year they had found no evidence to support claims that CIA planes transporting terrorism suspects to face possible torture in secret prisons in Europe landed illegally at British airports.
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