Italy denies again knowledge of abduction of Egyptian cleric

Italy has again denied it was informed of the CIA's abduction of an Egyptian cleric in Milan two years ago, and no authorization was ever asked or granted, the office of Italian Prime Minister said on Monday in a statement.

Responding to a press interview with former CIA head Michael Scheuer, the statement said the claims contained in the interview were "completely unfounded" and stressed how they clashed with US respect for Italian sovereignty, confirmed in talks on Friday between Berlusconi and US Ambassador Mel Sembler.

In the interview with the Rome daily La Repubblica, Scheuer said the operation was authorized by the head of Italy's military intelligence SISMI, Nicolo' Pollari, but implied that Italian police may not have been informed.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's office issued a toughly-worded statement, rebutting Scheuer's allegations and " refusing any attempt to involve it" in the Abu Omar abduction.

It said "in the most absolute and categorical way that the government, its diplomatic advisor, the head of SISMI or the intelligence and security apparatus ever received any sort of information from the US authorities."

"No contact, conversation, or sharing of information took place regarding the Milan incident," it said.

It stressed Bush had made "no mention" of the planned operation to Berlusconi and the intelligence services similarly exchanged no information on it.

On last Thursday the government first denied US authorities had given it prior knowledge of an undercover operation targeting terror suspect Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar.

Abu Omar, the former imam of Milan's main mosque, disappeared mysteriously on Feb. 17, 2003. At the time the Egyptian national was being probed by Milan investigators, suspected of having links to international terrorism.

Italian prosecutors say he was abducted by the CIA as part of its program of "extraordinary rendition" in which suspected terrorists are transferred without court approval to third countries for interrogation.

A Milan judge last month signed arrest warrants for 13 people that prosecutors say made up the CIA team which carried out the kidnapping.

Source: Xinhua