UN: More proactive initiatives from states with regard to examining planes that could be involved in "extraordinary rendition" would be welcome, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour.
Ms Arbour, a former judge of the Canadian Supreme Court and Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, was in Dublin yesterday, where she welcomed the Irish Government's decision to provide €3.3 million funding for her office.
She was in Dublin to receive an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland.
Asked whether the Irish Government should be boarding CIA flights that stop at Shannon in order to check whether they were carrying prisoners, she said she understood the Government position to be that they could be boarded if there was evidence of the flights being used for an illegal purpose.
"In the current climate I would welcome even more proactive efforts on the part of all governments," she said.
"I would welcome initiatives that go beyond the legal requirements, like seeking authorisation for random searches . . . It would be a very good signal for government to see for themselves what is happening rather than rely on assurances."
Asked about the attitude of her office to the US detention centre at Guantánamo Bay, she pointed out that its special rapporteurs had sought a visit there to examine conditions and speak to detainees.
However, US authorities were not prepared to allow them carry out their standard investigation, including speaking alone to detainees. The rapporteurs had prepared a report calling for the closure of Guantánamo, and she had associated herself with this, as had the secretary general Kofi Annan, saying it should be replaced with a judicial process.
She said she was disappointed at the US decision not to join the new UN human rights council, but not surprised, as it had indicated its attitude in advance.
However, she stressed that this did not indicate an unwillingness on the part of the US to be engaged with the new body.
Welcoming the Irish Government's grant of €3.3 million to her office, she said: "This is very solid . . . What is important is that this funding is unearmarked in any way, and can be directed to any of our projects."
Announcing the funding, Minister of State Conor Lenihan said it represented an increase of €250,000 on last year.
Ms Arbour also yesterday met the Irish Human Rights Commission which has called for random checks on CIA flights through Shannon.