Ex-US secretary of state Colin Powell on Sunday accused European leaders of being insincere when denying knowledge of the practice of rendition of terror suspects to countries where they are not protected by US anti-torture laws. In an interview with the BBC World TV channel, Mr Powell hinted that Europe`s outrage over alleged CIA prison transfers in Europe is hypocritical and said rendition policy is well-known and approved by European leaders. Mr Powell`s remarks come after his successor, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, during a recent trip to Europe was bombarded with uncomfortable questions about clandestine CIA flights from European airports, and alleged secret facilities in eastern Europe that were part of a global covert prison system. EU member states have persistently denied knowledge of secret CIA activities in their countries, although reports have not stopped coming in about CIA operations in Europe since NGO Human Rights Watch and the Washington Post newspaper broke the allegations last month. The US government has also so far declined to answer direct questions about the claims.