Deadlock over Blair terror bill
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LONDON, England -- The two British houses of parliament remained locked in a grim war of attrition Friday over Prime Minister Tony Blair's proposed anti-terrorism law, as authorities prepared to release on bail eight foreign terrorist suspects.
The Blair government wants new powers to impose control orders on suspects without trial -- including restrictions on using the Internet or telephone, curfews, house arrest and electronic tagging.
The measure plugs a gap in British anti-terrorism law after the UK's highest court ruled that an emergency law passed after the September 11 attacks was illegal.
An Algerian suspect was released on strict bail conditions late Thursday and eight more men, including Muslim cleric Abu Qatada, are expected to be released under similar terms Friday.
Abu Qatada is a Syrian cleric who Britain says was the spiritual inspiration for the lead September 11 hijacker. He has been detained for nearly three years.
The power to impose the bail orders expires Monday, and the government is pushing hard to get new legislation through parliament before then.
CNN's European Political Correspondent Robin Oakley said that the issue had become "a huge battle of wills" between Blair and the opposition.
Blair, he said, was insisting the legislation was necessary because the security services had advised him Britain would be in peril if it were not passed.
The opposition, said Oakley said, were saying it was a huge invasion of civil liberties and human rights and it should not be rushed through.
Lawmakers failed to reach agreement again Friday morning on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, despite debating through the night -- an often bitter, rowdy session that saw the legislation "ping pong" between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Opposition parties say the detentions are "Britain's Guantanamo."
They say the new legislation is flawed and infringes on civil liberties, continued to demand the law expire within a year of passage -- the so-called "sunset clause."
They said the government must act on stronger evidence than merely the suspicions of intelligence services -- dubbed "raising the burden of proof."
"If the government believed in civil liberties in this country, it would consent to a sunset clause," said Conservative Party lawmaker Dominic Grieve, referring to the amendment that would force the bill to expire in 12 months.
"I am left with the unpleasant feeling that the government has been playing the cheapest form of politics in this matter."
Blair already has the backing of the House of Commons, where he has a majority. But the House of Lords, where the Conservatives are the largest grouping, again overturned the government's proposals in votes early Friday.
The bill faced bouncing back and forth between the chambers, being amended and re-amended, until one side gives ground.
For a third time Friday morning, MPs voted down peers' demands for the "sunset clause." The bill was returned to the House of Lords for the fourth time during 24 hours of impasse.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the Government had given all the ground it was prepared to.
He said "stick-in-the-mud" Tory and Liberal Democrat peers had made "zero movement" towards a compromise. He said the bill was vital for the safety of Britain and he again demanded a climbdown from the unelected peers.
CNN's Oakley said Friday there were signs the Lords were beginning to "crumble" and in the end would concede to the elected Commons -- particularly if they got the key "sunset clause" though.
If the Prevention of Terrorism Bill were to pass, the government would have to request that a judge impose an order for house arrest. But in emergencies, it has reserved the right for a minister to impose the lesser controls, as long as a judge is consulted within seven days.
A special commission on Thursday granted bail to an Algerian national held under the law for three years. The man, identified only as "A," faces strict bail conditions, including powers for police to search his family home.
"On Monday, if this (bill) is not passed, these men will be released. I think that would be a grave threat to national security," Sir Ian Blair, head of London's Metropolitan Police, told reporters.
The debate was stoked further at the weekend when recently retired London police chief Sir John Stevens said more than 100 "Osama bin Laden-trained terrorists" are on the streets of Britain, determined to carry out mass attacks.
Security is a paramount issue in the run-up to an expected May 5 election.
Blair is widely expected to win, but the opposition Conservatives believe they are gaining ground on issues including the proposed terrorism laws.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
