EU and UK on collision course over terrorists
The European Union is framing new rules on the deportation of Islamic preachers for hate, which will put it on a collision course with Britain. The new rules could block the attempt by the Home Office here to deport 10 Islamic clerics already under detention and awaiting court orders for their deportation. Home Secretary Charles Clarke also announced "new rules" for a blitz on 50 more radical clerics. Ministers have been seeking guarantees from Middle East countries, including Syria, Lebanon and Algeria, that the deportees who are sent home will not be tortured or executed. But with the EU ready to unveil proposals banning the return of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to countries where they might face abuse, lawyers of extremist clerics are bound to use them to block the deportation of their clients, that include Jordanian Abu Qatada, regarded as Osama bin Laden's ambassador in Europe. A source said that the EU rules advise that countries would be better off keeping suspected terrorists under surveillance rather than deporting them. This would be an obstacle to the removal of preachers of hate and make it more difficult for the British Government to circumvent EU's human rights legislation. The problem is that the EU presidency being with Britain, it will be problematic for it to avoid ratifying the new proposals.
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