-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Information Warfare Echelon Illegal, European Union Says If the UK spies with America, is it part of Europe? THE European Union condemned Britain's role in an Anglo-American espionage network as illegal yesterday, vowing to confront the Government over the controversy at the next EU justice ministers' meeting. Fernando Gomez, the Portuguese Interior Minister, on behalf of EU governments, said: "The Council cannot accept the existence of this kind of system, which does not respect the legal requirements of the member states." European MPs amassed enough votes this week to demand a parliamentary investigation into the Echelon eavesdropping capability, arguing that Britain was in violation of Article 11 of the Amsterdam Treaty obliging member states to "refrain from any action which is contrary to the interests of the Union". Anger has been deepening among European Parliament members in recent days. During the deabte Jean-Claude Martinez, a French Euro-MP, said: "We're told that the European Union is threatened by J�rg Haider's Austria, but it's the Great Britain of Tony Blair that is the real threat." The involvement of the Council of Ministers takes the dispute to a new level, suggesting that the Prime Minister can no longer count on acquiescence from other European leaders over Britain's divided loyalties on intelligence issues. Mr Gomez said matters had been brought to a head by recent comments by James Woolsey, the former director of the CIA, who confirmed that the eaves dropping capability had been used to intercept the electronic communications of European companies. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro this week, Mr Woolsey said: "Yes, the United States secretly collects information on European firms; and, yes, I believe it is totally justified. It is not a question of industrial espionage for the benefit of American companies. That is something the US absolutely doesn't do. Our objective is to monitor companies that break UN or US government sanctions, to track 'dual use' technology, and to watch for corruption in international commerce." Mr Woolsey accused France of having used bribery to promote the interests of its companies abroad. The European Commission has also intervened in the affair, requesting formal clarification from the British and American governments. Yesterday it released a letter from Sir Stephen Wall, Britain's permanent representative in Brussels, who explained that the country's spy services operate under strict guidelines regulated by Parliament and conform with the European Commission on Human Rights. In the letter he wrote: "Like other member states' agencies, the UK security and intelligence Agencies co-operate with counterparts overseas, both in the EU member states and elsewhere including the United States. We do not, however, allow other nations to use UK facilities, including interception from any site in the UK, for commercial advantage." The American government said it does "not collect proprietary commercial, technical, or financial information for the benefit of private firms". The Commission has taken a cautious stance so far. Erkki Liikanen, the Commissioner for the Information Society, told Euro-MPs yesterday that his hands were tied because the "activities of intelligence agencies of member states fall outside the scope of community law". The Commission can act only on a specific complaint alleging that individual interests have been damaged in some way by Anglo-American espionage. This has not yet happened, but it is almost certain to do so soon. The London Telegraph, March 31, 2000 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soap-boxing! 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