Thursday, February 5, 2009

US threat to withhold intelligence from Britain over Guantanamo evidence

by Richard Ford and Francis Elliott

THE US has threatened to withhold intelligence from Britain if evidence of the alleged torture of a British resident held at Guantanamo Bay is made public.

Details of how the "terrorist" detainee was allegedly tortured - and what British intelligence services knew about it - must remain secret because of the American threats, the High Court ruled yesterday.

Lord Justice Thomas and Justice Lloyd Jones said lawyers for the Foreign Secretary had told them that the threat by the US still applied under President Barack Obama. Oppostion MPs accused the Government of giving in to blackmail.

The disclosure that the US has threatened to re-evaluate sharing intelligence with Britain came just 24 hours after new US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lavished praise on the special relationship between the two countries.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25010986-2703,00.html

No comments: