Easy, Mr Clarke

Britain's Home Secretary Charles Clarke was reported to have told Members of the European Parliament that the fight against terrorism must take priority over certain citizens' rights. Mr Clarke was not claiming that the fight against terrorism must take precedence over all other rights.

He was expressly referring to such issues as EU draft legislation to allow data retention from phone calls and e-mails in the fight against terrorism. Mr Clarke was appealing to legislators to maintain the right balance between security and freedom.

Indeed, he argued: "The point I want to make is that the human right to travel on the underground in London on a Thursday morning without being blown up is also an important right."

He appealed for a "proportionate response".

So, before anyone runs away with the idea that a British minister is trying to subordinate human rights to the fight against terrorism, it is important to focus on what precisely the minister had to say.

However, we do see the dangers of what Mr Clarke is proposing and it is important that such information about individuals and other data that are stored are used solely for the purpose for which they were gathered.

People in power will always have the temptation to use such information against their 'enemies' or rivals. The world knows about this because it has frequently happened and continues to happen.

So it is important to ensure the highest standards of control and openness in the management of data on individuals. Otherwise these powers, once given, may develop in a completely undesirable direction.

In politics it is common for some decisions, designed with a particular aim, to lead to completely unforeseen developments. The European Parliament must establish a proper watchdog to ensure that such new powers can be ended or reversed if they are abused of.

Europe must also look beyond its shores and measure the consequences of its actions. It is customary in many of our neighbouring states that freedoms are curtailed and timid advances in democratic reforms are reversed on the excuse of combating the more serious threat of terrorism.

In Egypt, an emergency law passed after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat some 24 years ago has been used since by the ruling party to consolidate its hold on the country.

And we need not single out Egypt. There are a number of other countries that have done the same. Europe must set a good example in this respect as well. Europe must indeed give priority to the fight against terrorism and it is important that all the member states of the EU close ranks.

It is important also to try to pre-empt such attacks by, for example, becoming more efficient in the exchange of information. It is essential that we do not lose our focus and that only the extremists become the targets of our actions.

But it must also remain clear in Europe and to the world at large that democracy in Europe reigns... that rights come before expediency. Otherwise the terrorists would have won more than they planned to, Mr Clarke said.

He added that the challenge of a more secure Europe requires "a proportionate response". "None of our proposals are new, they were not new even after the Madrid attacks, but they are things we still need to do."

The original proposal to store data from phone calls, text messages and e-mails for a maximum of three years was put forward by the UK, Ireland, France and Sweden. The stored information would only include details on the date, time and location of the communication but not on the content of the conversation.

To give an example of how important intelligence agencies and the use of new technologies are, Mr Clarke mentioned that the presence of CCTV cameras on public transport in London would certainly help investigators to identify the terrorists.

"The support that we had from international, and particularly European, intelligence agencies and police, has been first class," Mr Clarke told the committee. "It has made a material difference".