Polish president admits Poland agreed to host secret CIA 'black site'

Alexander Kwasniewski, Poland's president from 1995-2005, admits for the first time that Poland agreed to host a secret CIA 'black site'

Former President to the Republic of Poland, Aleksander Kwasniewski
Former President to the Republic of Poland, Aleksander Kwasniewski Credit: Photo: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images

A former Polish president has admitted for the first time Poland agreed to host a secret CIA "black site" where terrorism suspects were held and allegedly tortured.

Alexander Kwasniewski, Poland's president from 1995-2005, said he had permitted America to operate a base on Polish soil in the wake of the September 11 attacks but stressed there was "no agreement on torture".

It is the first time a senior Polish politician in office during 2002-2003, when the base was operational, has conceded the CIA had a site in Poland.

For many years they issued flat denials about its existence despite a mountain of evidence indicating the base had existed, and allegations by former terrorism suspects that not only were they prisoners in Poland but also tortured there.

It appears the damning Senate report on CIA torture has made Mr Kwasniewski change his stance despite Poland's name not appearing in the report summary published on Tuesday.

Asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether he knew what was happening at the CIA site on a military base in the north-east of Poland Mr Kwasniewski replied: "About what the CIA was doing? No. Inside the site, no."

The former president said after the September 11 attacks in 2001, Poland has stepped up intelligence cooperation with the United States.

"The US asked the Polish side to find a quiet place where it could carry out activities to gain information from people who had declared themselves willing to cooperate," said Mr Kwasniewski, but added Poland had agreed on the condition everything was carried out "according to Polish law and in accordance with the Polish constitution".

He said there had been a memorandum issued by the Americans stating the "people held in Poland are to be treated as prisoners of war and will be afforded all the rights they are entitled to" but owing to a lack of time the US failed to sign the memorandum.

Apparently disconcerted about what was happening at the site, Mr Kwasniewski spoke about it with George W Bush, his American counterpart, during a meeting in 2003.

"The Americans conducted their activities in such secrecy, that it raised our concerns," said Mr Kwasniewski. "The Polish authorities acted to end these activities and they were stopped under pressure from Poland."

Polish prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into the "black site" and officials said they hoped the US report on the CIA will aid its progress.