*Ø* Blogmanac | EU extradition deal with US
European Union justice ministers agreed on Friday to sign a landmark extradition deal with the United States after nearly a year of negotiations and criticism from human rights campaigners.

The extradition pact goes hand-in-hand with another accord that will allow US and EU police officers to set up joint investigation teams, share evidence and "cut red tape" in requesting help and information in crime and terrorism cases. The agreements will be signed at an EU-US summit in Washington on June 25.

Diplomats said EU states would retain the right to deny extradition in cases where the death penalty could be applied or enforced. They can also choose to refuse extradition of their own nationals if the United States cannot guarantee defendants a fair trial in a civilian court.

But some European lawmakers and civil rights groups have said the deal is too vague on the death penalty and that guarantees of fair trials were ambiguous. The United States has said it will try foreign terrorism suspects by secret military tribunals.

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