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Bush authorised wiretaps
17/12/2005 17:53 - (SA)
Washington - President George W Bush said on Saturday that he had authorised the use of highly secret wiretaps by the National Security Agency, saying the wiretaps have "saved American lives" in the US "war on terror".
In a televised address, Bush confirmed media reports on Friday that he had authorised the NSA, the government's intensely secret electronic and satellite spy agency, to intercept communications by people living in the United States who are suspected of terrorist activities.
"This is a highly classified programme that is crucial to our national security," Bush said of the controversial program.
Bush said senators who are blocking renewal of the terrorism-fighting Patriot Act are acting irresponsibly and standing in the way of protecting the US from attack.
"In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment," the president said in a live broadcast from the White House of his weekly radio address.
Senate Democrats, with the aid of a handful of Republicans, succeeded on Friday in stalling the bill already approved by the House.
The vote to advance the measure, 52-47, fell eight votes shy of the 60 votes required to end debate.
"That decision is irresponsible and it endangers the lives of our citizens. The senators who are filibustering must stop their delaying tactics and the Senate must reauthorize the Patriot Act," Bush said.
To protect the country against terrorists
Opponents of renewing the law, most of whom are Democrats, argue that it threatens constitutional liberties at home.
Most Republicans and other supporters say the act is essential for protecting the country against terrorists. The law was enacted in the aftermath of the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.
Of the 55 Republicans in the Senate, four helped to block its passage while two of the 45 Democrats pushed to pass it.
Some of the most contentious elements of the Patriot Act include powers granted to law enforcement agencies to gain access in secret to library and medical records and other personal data during investigations of suspected terrorist activity.
The law allows the government to conduct roving wiretaps involving multiple phones and to wiretap "lone wolf" terrorists who may operate on their own, without control from a foreign agent or power.
If the law is not renewed, its powers would expire Dec 31 only for new investigations of people whose criminal activity began after Dec 31 and who were not associated with anyone who was under investigation before Dec 31.
The debate over the Patriot Act was fueled anew by a New York Times report that Bush had secretly authorised eavesdropping on individuals in the United States without first gaining permission from the courts.
- AFP
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