Greece denies involvement in CIA prisoner flights

ATHENS: Greece said on Thursday it had taken no part in the secret transfer of terrorist suspects by the United States, a day after US President George Bush confirmed the existence of covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to detain prisoners overseas.            

"The Greek government was asked by the European parliament and the answer was very clear. There was an investigation and there was absolutely no sign that something like that happened on Greek territory," Bakoyannis said.              

In June, the Council of Europe had listed Greece among 14 European countries suspected of colluding in, or tolerating the secret initiative.   

Specifically, the pan-Euroepan rights watchdog listed Greece among seven countries that "could be held responsible for collusion -- active or passive".     

At the time, a Greek left-wing daily reported that CIA aircraft "employed to transport Muslim detainees" had made several landings at Athens airport between 2002 and 2005.         

It is unknown whether the aircraft actually contained detainees at that time, or were simply refueling. But one of the planes has been linked to the transport of Muslim suspects out of Pakistan, Sweden and Indonesia in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, the paper said.           

"All international regulations covering the passage of aircraft have been respected," Greek government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said at the time.           

Bush on Wednesday admitted for the first time the existence of secret CIA prisons for suspected terrorists and defended tough interrogations that have been branded as torture by human rights groups.