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Berlin-Reuters -
A German embassy official in Damascus has
obtained access to a German man who is being
held in a Syrian jail after the CIA handed
him over, a German foreign ministry
spokesman said on Monday.
Spokesman Jens Ploetner told reporters that
after repeated refusals by the Syrian
government, German embassy officials had
gained access to Mohammed Zammar, an
associate of the Hamburg al Qaeda cell which
led the Sept. 11 attacks.
"The German government will strive to make
certain that this consular access is
maintained and that Mr Zammar can have legal
aid" during his upcoming trial in Syria,
Ploetner said.
Syrian-born Zammar was arrested in Morocco
in late 2001.
German weekly Der Spiegel said among the
charges the Syrians will try Zammar on are
membership in the Muslim Brotherhood,
punishable by death in Syria. Zammar is
expected to answer this charge in a Syrian
court on Sunday, the magazine said.
Civil rights organisations have criticised
the administration of U.S. President George
W. Bush for its practice of having the CIA
take suspected terrorists and fly them to
third countries so that they can be
interrogated under conditions that might not
be acceptable under U.S. law.
Berlin said it would also seek to ensure
that Zammar's living conditions were as
bearable as possible in jail and that he has
access to any medication he might need, he
said.
Der Spiegel reported that an embassy
official met with Zammar briefly at Seidnaya
prison near Damascus. He asked for some
winter clothing, money and a lawyer.
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