'Shoot-to-kill' demand by US

[Michael Hoover <HooverM@xxxxxxxxxx>]

'Shoot-to-kill' demand by US
Martin Bright, home affairs editor
Saturday November 15 2003
The Guardian

Home Secretary David Blunkett has refused to grant diplomatic immunity
to armed American special agents and snipers travelling to Britain as
part of President Bush's entourage this week.

In the case of the accidental shooting of a protester, the Americans in
Bush's protection squad will face justice in a British court as would
any other visitor, the Home Office has confirmed.

The issue of immunity is one of a series of extraordinary US demands
turned down by Ministers and Downing Street during preparations for the
Bush visit.

These included the closure of the Tube network, the use of US air force
planes and helicopters and the shipping in of battlefield weaponry to
use against rioters.

In return, the British authorities agreed numerous concessions,
including the creation of a 'sterile zone' around the President with a
series of road closures in central London and a security cordon keeping
the public away from his cavalcade.

The White House initially demanded the closure of all Tube lines under
parts of London to be visited during the trip. But British officials
dismissed the idea that a suicide bomber could kill the President by
blowing up a Tube train. Ministers are also believed to have dismissed
suggestions that a 'sterile zone' around the President should be policed
entirely by American special agents and military.

Demands for the US air force to patrol above London with fighter
aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters have also been turned down.

The President's protection force will be armed - as Tony Blair's is
when he travels abroad - and around 250 secret service agents will fly
in with Bush, but operational control will remain with the Metropolitan
Police.

The Americans had also wanted to travel with a piece of military
hardware called a 'mini-gun', which usually forms part of the mobile
armoury in the presidential cavalcade. It is fired from a tank and can
kill dozens of people. One manufacturer's description reads: 'Due to the
small calibre of the round, the mini-gun can be used practically
anywhere. This is especially helpful during peacekeeping deployments.'


Ministers have made clear to Washington that the firepower of the
mini-gun will not be available during the state visit to Britain. In
return, the Government has agreed to close off much of Whitehall during
the visit - the usual practice in Britain is to use police outriders to
close roads as the cavalcade passes to cause minimal disruption to
traffic.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'Negotiations between here and the US
have been perfectly amicable. If there have been requests, they have not
posed any problems.'

An internal memo sent to Cabinet Office staff and leaked to the press
this weekend urged staff to work from home if at possible during the
presidential visit. Serious disruption would be caused by 'the President
Bush vehicle entourage requesting cleared secured vehicle routes
around London and the security cordons creating a sterile zone around
him'.

Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing between police and demonstrators
about the route of the march. Representatives of the Stop the War
Coalition will meet police at Scotland Yard tomorrow to discuss whether
protesters will be able to march through Parliament Square and
Whitehall. Spokesman Andrew Burgin said he hoped for 'a good
old-fashioned British compromise'.