Spain 'authorised' CIA rendition flights

An investigation has been launched after it emerged that the former conservative government of Jose Maria Aznar allowed controversial CIA flights to land on Spanish soil.

Spain has previously denied all knowledge of "secret stopover" flights by CIA planes transporting terror suspects to the US military base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

But a "top secret" document leaked to Spanish daily newspaper El Pais shows that permission was sought by the US from Spain's Foreign Ministry in early 2002.

The request was communicated to Josep Pique, then foreign minister, hours before a CIA flight landed at Moron airbase in southwest Spain, the newspaper claimed.

Mr Aznar's government allegedly recommended that "discreet" airports be used for the stopover of rendition flights.

Former Prime Minister Aznar, who backed the US war of terror and was in power when the flights allegedly started, has previously denied any knowledge of the stopovers. More