Assurances by Condoleezza Rice ... that America did not send detainees abroad for torture were dismissed ... as "beyond belief".

Independent Online Edition > UK Politics: "December 2005 07:55 | MPs dismiss US denials as 'disingenuous' and 'beyond belief' | By Colin Brown Deputy Political Editor | Published: 06 December 2005

Assurances by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, that America did not send detainees abroad for torture were dismissed last night by a cross-party group of MPs as "beyond belief".

The group, which was launched yesterday to investigate the "extraordinary renditions" of prisoners by the CIA, claimed that Ms Rice had confirmed that Britain had been told about the nature of the secret CIA flights to UK airports. Andrew Tyrie, the group's Tory chairman, said: "There has been so much smoke on this issue, it's very unlikely that there is not a fire somewhere. I think it's likely they have been tortured."

Downing Street was challenged over photographs produced at the weekend of CIA planes landing and taking off at UK airports. It denied British airports had been used for torture flights, "so far as we aware". ...