11 June 2007
NATO rejects the allegations made by Mr. Dick Marty that there was some kind of “NATO framework” associated with purported CIA activities in Europe. There has, quite simply, never been a secret agreement along the lines described by Mr. Dick Marty in this report to the Council of Europe.
Soon after the terrorist attacks of Sept 11th, 2001, the North Atlantic Council agreed on eight measures to support the US regarding implementation of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – which were, at the time, made public. They included an agreement to provide blanket clearances for military flights, in accordance with national procedures. The relevant clause says that NATO countries agree to "provide blanket over flight clearances for the US and other Allies' aircraft, in accordance with the necessary air traffic arrangements and national procedures, for military flights related to operations against terrorism". Any military flights covered by this agreement, and the relevant air traffic control would have been arranged bilaterally; NATO would have had no role.
