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David Miliband has admitted two US "extraordinary rendition" flights landed on UK territory in 2002. In a statement to MPs the foreign secretary said in both cases, US planes stopped on the UK dependent territory of Diego Garcia to refuel. He said he was "very sorry" to have to say that previous denials made in "good faith" were now having to be corrected. Mr Miliband said the flights had only come to light after a US records search and said the US shared the UK's regret. Former foreign secretary Jack Straw and former prime minister Tony Blair made statements in 2005, 2006 and 2007 saying there was no evidence that rendition flights had stopped on UK territory. Mr Miliband said the US had told him that neither of the two men involved in the rendition were British. One has since been released and one is at Guantanamo Bay. BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds said the revelations were "a serious embarrassment for the British government". Not only is the US government supposed to ask permission for such flights, but assurances were given to Britain which led to misleading statements by ministers. He said it was "bound to lead to a further loss of confidence in the word of the US" with "the only mitigating factor" being "that the US volunteered the information".
Well surprise surprise, after years of denials that extraordinary rendition flights have landed in uk territory its now been admitted that 2 had actually landed here. So in other words we can multiply that by at least a factor of 10. QuoteDavid Miliband has admitted two US "extraordinary rendition" flights landed on UK territory in 2002. In a statement to MPs the foreign secretary said in both cases, US planes stopped on the UK dependent territory of Diego Garcia to refuel. He said he was "very sorry" to have to say that previous denials made in "good faith" were now having to be corrected. Mr Miliband said the flights had only come to light after a US records search and said the US shared the UK's regret. Former foreign secretary Jack Straw and former prime minister Tony Blair made statements in 2005, 2006 and 2007 saying there was no evidence that rendition flights had stopped on UK territory. Mr Miliband said the US had told him that neither of the two men involved in the rendition were British. One has since been released and one is at Guantanamo Bay. BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds said the revelations were "a serious embarrassment for the British government". Not only is the US government supposed to ask permission for such flights, but assurances were given to Britain which led to misleading statements by ministers. He said it was "bound to lead to a further loss of confidence in the word of the US" with "the only mitigating factor" being "that the US volunteered the information".
