UK a 'safe haven' for foreign terrorists

London: Britain has become a 'safe haven' for foreign terror suspects who cannot be removed from the country due to rulings from the European Court of Human Rights, an independent reviewer for terror laws said today. Submitting his sixth and last report, outgoing watchdog Lord Carlile said ruling from the European court made it difficult to remove dangerous people.

"The effect is to make the UK a safe haven for some individuals whose determination is to damage the UK and its citizens, hardly a satisfactory situation save for the purist," he said in the report published today.

Britain, Lord Carlilse relied on foreign states' assurances about the treatment of suspects that judges may not accept. According to him, Britain had failed to persuade the European Court that the risk of ill-treatment faced by a

detainee in his home country had to be balanced with the threat posed to the UK's national security.

The UK had deals over the treatment of deportees with Algeria, Jordan, Ethiopia and Libya, but Lord Carlile said the legal chances of avoiding removal remained high. He added: "I support the proposals in the Counter-Terrorism Review that the Government should pursue deportation arrangements with more countries. I support very strongly efforts to pursue verifiable assurances for named

individuals, in relation to countries with which there is no generic agreement.

"In addition, I suggest that my successor should be commissioned to provide an annual independent report on deportations in terrorism cases, and the

monitoring/verification of their situation after deportation."

Lard Carlile, a Liberal Democrat peer, said in the report: "The manifestos of the (coalition) political parties then in opposition were written without detailed knowledge of the evidence base for control orders, generally and in

relation to individuals. He added: "In my view this is regrettable, and should

be remedied in the present system and any legislative replacement. I recommend that one or two senior spokespersons for at least the official Opposition should be vetted: the purpose of this would be that, whilst respecting

confidentiality and national security, they should be able to give informed advice to their shadow colleagues on the merits of the legislation."