Group Hopes to Use Images in Prisons Probe

By JAN SLIVA, Associated Press Writer
Wed Dec 7, 3:31 PM ET

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Europe's leading human rights watchdog group said Wednesday it hopes to be able to see satellite images of sites in Romania and Poland as part of its investigation into alleged secret CIA prisons and flights in Europe.

A top Council of Europe official said the body had been granted permission to look at images in the archives of the European Union's main satellite center, as well as log books held by the EU's air safety organization.

"They are willing to the give us the information we need, but they need the permission of the national authorities," Rene van der Linden, chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, told The Associated Press. He said all 25 EU nations would have to give permission for such a step.

However, a British intelligence expert warned that even high-resolution satellite images may not be able to provide much insight into what has been happening on the ground.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051207/ap_on_re_eu/eu_secret_prisons;_ylt=AjcH8jK4HbDLcl_EZaND7_BWbBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl