CIA flight landed in Stavanger
A Beechcraft 350C aircraft believed to be used by the US Central Intelligence Agency landed at the Sola airport south of Stavanger Friday morning. Some politicians are calling for an investigation, fearing the flight carried prisoners of war being sent to US military bases.
 Alf Ivar Samuelsen, a member of parliament from Nordland for the Center Party, has several questions about the plane that landed at Stavanger Friday morning. PHOTO: BJØRN SIGURDSØN/SCANPIX Bjørn Jacobsen is also asking questions about the US-registered plane that stopped for refueling. PHOTO: BJØRN SIGURDSØN/SCANPIX |
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The CIA flights have long been controversial in Europe, because of their use for prisoner transport.
The aircraft that landed in Norway Friday morning carried the American registration number N4466A and is owned by Aviation Specialities Inc of Baltimore, Maryland in the US.
Aviation Specialities is, according to a report made to the European Parliament in 2006, controlled by the CIA.
The flight arrived from Brno Turany in the Czech Republic, landed for refueling and flew on to Keflavik in Iceland.
"There is reason to believe such flights are used for illegal transport of prisoners," said Bjørn Jacobsen, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the Socialist Left party (SV), which is part of the country's left-centre government coalition.
Jacobsen is calling for an investigation into why the plane was allowed to land in Norway.
"We need all the cards on the table," Jacobsen said. "This is extremely serious, because we can't contribute to people being tortured or not being granted the rights they have as prisoners."
Other Nowegian politicians agreed. "The problem is that we're getting a hint that this can be one of those (prisoner transport) flights, but no confirmation," said Alf Ivar Samuelsen of the Center Party, also part of the government coalition. "We can't do any more than go to the highest authorities in the government, and I've done that, two times."
Norway's foreign ministry claimed it was unaware that a CIA-controlled flight landed at Sola on Friday.
"The only thing I can say is what we've said earlier, that the American authorities respect Norwegian laws, and that these flights aren't being used for illegal transport of prisoners," said spokeswoman Kristin Melsom.
Anders Nordstoga
Kristoffer Rønneberg
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund
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