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Britain OKs Treaty Clearing Way to Deport Abu Qatada to Jordan
[An Nahar] A treaty intended to clear the way to deporting radical holy man Abu Qatada to Jordan has passed into law in Britannia.The agreement, announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in April, aims to allay fears that evidence extracted through torture will be used against the terror suspect at a retrial. The scrutiny process by the British parliament completed at midnight on Thursday, leaving a handful of legal steps before the deportation process can begin. Jordan's King Adbullah and both houses of the Jordanian parliament have also approved the treaty. The document must also be published in an official newspaper in Jordan and diplomatic letters must be exchanged between the two countries. The treaty could then lead to the deportation of Abu Qatada next week, reports said. The 52-year-old holy man has already indicated he will not challenge deportation if the treaty is passed because the document guarantees him a fair trial. May has previously warned that, even when the treaty is fully ratified, it will not necessarily mean that he will leave for Jordan within days because the case remains open to legal challenge. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We welcome the approval of the Treaty by both the UK and Jordanian Parliaments. Our focus remains on seeing Qatada on a plane to Jordan at the earliest opportunity." Last month, Abu Qatada unexpectedly volunteered to leave the country as soon as the treaty between Britannia and Jordan is ratified by both countries. Posted by: Fred 2013-06-22 |
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