Rice tight-lipped on secret European prison claims

[Neil D]

The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has denied the United States is using CIA flights to transport terror suspects to other countries for torture.

Dr Rice has made the comments before beginning a tour of Europe where she is expected to be questioned over the alleged existence of a network of CIA prisons holding terrorist suspects.

Condoleezza Rice admits suspects have been moved by plane under a process known as rendition, but says the US does not tolerate torture.

She would not confirm or deny if the CIA is running secret prisons in Europe.

"We can not discuss information that would compromise the success of intelligence and military operations, we expect that other nations share this view," she said.

Dr Rice is visiting Berlin, where she is expected to face questions about the 400 flights Germany believes the CIA has made through its airspace.

Mary Robinson, the former UN high commissioner for human rights, says international human rights standards are slipping.

She says European governments may indeed have questions to answer themselves.

"This is the kind of subterranean hidden world, in which there are violations of international human rights law, it would appear, in these renditions," she said.

"And the pressure is being brought to bear on European countries to say anything publicly, and it's not clear to what extent they are indeed complicit, in some of these these renditions."

ABC NEWS