Via the BBC: Rice allays CIA prison row fears
European ministers are satisfied with Condoleezza Rice’s explanation on the issue of alleged secret CIA prisons overseas, Nato and EU officials say.They met the US secretary of state ahead of a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels.
Ms Rice has stressed that US interrogators are banned from using torture both at home and abroad.
US Congress members who campaigned on the issue say it is a major concession. The White House denies a policy shift.
No shock that the White House wouldn’t want to characterize anything as a policy shift (at least not if that meant perhaps admitting a mistake). Still, if is unclear from the story if this is a actual shift or a clarification. Certainly it seems that the administration is taking the questions on this topic more seriously.
It is interesting that the NATO/EU ministers were mollified by Rice’s report:
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the meeting was “very satisfactory for all of us”.Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, one of those most concerned by the issue, also said he was “very satisfied”.
Interestingly, the NYT is less satisfied: More Questions as Rice Asserts Detainee Policy.
WaPo’s headline took a more measured tone: Rice Seeks To Clarify Policy on Prisoners
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