BRITAIN: The man described by Spanish authorities as Osama bin Laden's "spiritual adviser in Europe" is expected to be the first target of British government moves to deport Jordanian nationals suspected of supporting or inciting terrorism.
The likely move against radical cleric Abu Qatada was signalled with Downing Street's announcement yesterday of an "in principle" agreement with the Middle Eastern state to allow the deportation of Jordanian suspects without fear of them being mistreated upon their return.
British prime minister Tony Blair's spokesman confirmed that a number of Jordanian nationals could be subject to deportation proceedings once the UK and Jordan signed a detailed "memoranda of understanding."
Downing Street and the Home Office hope this will be the first in a series of agreements - particularly with North African countries - that will remove the bar to deportations of unwanted extremists.
International convention prevents the UK returning people to any country where they might face inhuman or degrading treatment. It is also British policy not to return people facing the death penalty.
And even as the home office resigned itself to a long legal wrangle over any attempt to deport Abu Qatada, human rights and civil liberty campaigners questioned home secretary Charles Clarke's ability to monitor assurances given by countries known to have used torture.
Amnesty International's UK director Kate Allen said: "Such promises from countries like Jordan, which are known to have used torture, are not worth the paper they are written on. These assurances rely on the good faith of states known to torture their subjects - a practice few states admit to. How does Charles Clarke propose to monitor whether these promises are being honoured? Going soft on torture is not the answer to terrorism."
As part of his get-tough policy in response to the London bombings which killed 56 people, Mr Clarke said he would try to broaden the use of his powers to bar or exclude from the UK people whose presence was deemed "not conducive to the public interest". To that end the UK will set up a global database on extremists who face automatic vetting before being allowed to enter. In a statement to MPs, Mr Clarke said the database would list "unacceptable behaviours" including radical preaching, websites and written articles intended to foment or provoke terrorism.
He said the home office, foreign office and intelligence services would compile an index of individuals from around the world who had demonstrated such behaviour. Anyone on the index seeking to enter the UK would then have their case referred to ministers with a view to their exclusion.
Mr Clarke said he had concluded that his powers to exclude people from Britain needed to be used "more widely and systematically" both in respect of foreign visitors and people already resident in Britain. "In the circumstances we now face, I've decided that it's right to broaden the use of these powers to deal with those who foment terrorism or seek to provoke others to terrorist acts. To this end I intend to draw up a list of unacceptable behaviours which would fall within this . . . The list will be indicative rather than exhaustive."
Mr Clarke faced growing pressure yesterday to take action against Muslim cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has said the British government and people share responsibility for the July 7th bombing attacks on London's transport network.
Sheikh Bakri, who has dual Syrian and Lebanese nationality and is sometimes referred to as the "Tottenham Ayatollah", was granted "indefinite leave to remain" in the UK after seeking asylum from Saudi Arabia.