Quote:

John Kerry seeks delay to US Senate torture report

After months of wrangling between the US Senate and the White House over the so-called 'torture report', an eleventh-hour intervention by the Secretary of State threatens further delays

Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP









By Peter Foster, Washington

12:49AM GMT 06 Dec 2014



John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has asked for a further delay to the publication of a long-awaited US Senate report into the use of torture by the CIA in the years after the September 11 attacks.

Mr Kerry reportedly called Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to ask her to consider delaying the publication of the report because of security concerns at US missions abroad.

The Telegraph understands the call from Mr Kerry, which was first reported by Bloomberg, came 24 hours after the Director of National Intelligence submitted a detailed report to Congress setting out the potential dangers of publishing.

The report's publication has already been delayed since August as a result of intense wrangling between Senator Feinstein, the White House and the CIA, over how much should be redacted by the censor's pen.

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Sen Feinstein had signaled earlier this week that the report - a 480-page declassified summary of a classified 6,200-page inquiry into the CIA's use of torture, black jails and extraordinary rendition - would be published early next week.
An administration official told the Associated Press that Mr Kerry called Sen Feinstein to talk about the implications of publicly releasing her committee's report given the current tense situation in numerous world hotspots.
A spokesman for Ms Feinstein's office declined to comment when contacted by the Telegraph Friday night.
However another Senate Intelligence Committee source confirmed the call to The Telegraph but said that they still expected Ms Feinstein to push ahead with publication on Tuesday ahead of a gala dinner on Wednesday at which the senator is due to receive an award from HumanRightsFirst, a rights group.
Ms Feinstein is under pressure to release the report before Republicans take control of the Senate in January, potentially further delaying publication.
According to many US officials who have read it, the document includes new details about the CIA's use of such techniques as sleep deprivation, confinement in small spaces, humiliation and the simulated drowning process known as waterboarding.
President Barack Obama acknowledged at a televised White House earlier this year that "We tortured some folks" but civil rights groups have accused the Mr Obama of foot-dragging over the reports release.
Republicans on the committee have voiced opposition to publication, saying it is a politically motivated and partial account that will endanger American lives abroad.
The report goes much further than to simply condemn the brutal methods, which Mr Obama outlawed in 2009 and were repudiated by the three most recent CIA directors.
It alleges both that the harsh interrogations failed to produce unique and life-saving intelligence and that the CIA systematically lied about the covert program to officials at the White House, the Justice Department and congressional oversight committees.
The expected release of the report has raised concerns about potential backlash to Americans and U.S. interests around the world.
Marie Harf, the State Department spokeswoman said the State Department has "directed all of our posts overseas to review their security posture in light of ... a release of this report, to ensure that our personnel, our facilities and our interests are prepared for the range of reactions that might occur."
A senior defense official said the Pentagon will be warning military combatant commanders overseas that the torture report will be coming out and that they should assess their security situation.
The official said that commanders are being told to take any steps they believe are appropriate to assure the safety of their personnel in case the report triggers violence.
The main focus of the effort is in the Middle East and Europe, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the impending memo publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.