Svoboda refuses to answer questions in Berlin over alleged CIA flights

The Czech foreign minister, Cyril Svoboda, is refusing to appear before a German parliamentary committee to answer questions about allegations that secret CIA planes stopped over in Prague. MP Max Stadler of Germany's Free Democratic Party called on Mr Svoboda to discuss the matter in Berlin. But he said it was unthinkable for a minister of the sovereign Czech state to be questioned by German deputies. Amnesty International reported last week that over 20 CIA planes had landed in Prague, an allegation denied by both the Czech foreign and defence ministries.

Author: Ian Willoughby