What Edward Snowden revealed concerns intelligence sharing between the European Union and America, the American and European intelligence agencies work “hand in glove,” John Laughland, from the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation in Paris, told RT.
RT:Let’s just start with this very fiery rhetoric from
the EU about America’s surveillance. Just how honest is it?
John Laughland: I don’t take it seriously at all; I think
it’s for show. It’s very revealing and symbolic that President
Morales’ plane should have been forced to land in a European Union
country after the withdrawal of overflight rights by other
European Union countries, because this, of course, shows how the
European puddle jumps the American circus master’s command. The
European governments are very obviously under the thumb of the
Americans, they have shown this very blatantly, and the reason
why I say it’s symbolic is that the abuses which Snowden has
revealed, the explosion of espionage activity against US citizens
and against the people around the world by the US government is
only one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is that
there has been massive increase in co-operation in intelligent
sharing between the United States and its European Union allies
in the last ten years and certainly since 9\11. So it’s entirely
appropriate, if you like, that the whistleblower should have been
attempted to be caught by European Union countries, because the
problem that he has revealed concerns intelligence sharing
between the European Union and America as well as the increase of
espionage by the American security forces.
RT:But Latin America has really come together with
this expressing unilateral support for Bolivia. Aren’t Europe and
America only drumming up opposition to their actions?
JL: Definitely, we have to see, of course, how the Latin
American leaders react now after this extraordinary violation of
aviation law and of diplomatic immunity. I mean the idea,
Like some gangster or a pirate a country can simply order a
presidential plane to land, because they suspect they’ve heard a
rumor that someone might be on that plane, is absolutely
shocking, it should shock anybody who is interested in human
right and the rule of law. Edward Snowden is not in the Interpol
“Wanted” list, there is no justification for this kind of
gangster activity. If he is to be extradited to the United
States, then that must, of course, happen according to legal
procedures. That is to say, according to the extradition treaties
where they exist, and if the Americans and their European allies
are going to say that these well-established rules and principles
no longer matter, then they are showing themselves up to be, what
in fat they are, which is to say, completely hypocritical on
human right issues, and, of course, yes that will ring about
untold opposition from Latin America, from China and, probably
from Russia.
RT:Looks like the US is willing to act on Snowden’s
leaks, but will do nothing to protect him. What do you think?
JL: I think that’s right. I’ve just made the point about
how the Americans and the Europeans are hand in glove, but this
isn’t the first time that we’ve known about this. Let’s not
forget, when the CIA rendition scandal broke several years ago,
that’s to say the scandal of people being kidnapped by American
officials, by American soldiers, and then taken to secret centers
for interrogation, those secret centers, as we know, were in
Poland and Romania. They were in EU and NATO states. So we know
that the American and the European intelligence agencies operate
extremely closely together. We know that the European treaties,
the Lisbon treaty, for example, commit the European Union to
working hand in glove with NATO. So this in a sent should not
really come as a surprise to anybody.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.