Bush defends Guantanamo

2005-07-06 14:06

Copenhagen - United States President George W Bush on Wednesday defended the treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay military facilty in Cuba and said they will be given fair trials.

Bush, speaking at a news conference during a visit to Denmark, said Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen raised concerns about the US detention camp

He said: "The prisoners are well-treated in Guantanamo. There's total transparency. The International Red Cross can inspect anytime, any day.

"These people are being treated humanely. There are very few prison systems around the world that have seen such scrutiny as this one."

Bush noted that many prisoners had been sent home, while the US judicial system was deciding whether to try others in military or civilian courts.

'Fair and open trials'

He said: "The reason why you haven't seen any adjudication of individuals is because our court system is determining where best to try people.

"Once the judicial branch of government makes its decision, then we'll proceed forward giving people fair and open trials."

An estimated 540 detainees - most of them captured during battles in Afghanistan - were being held at the Guantanamo camp.

Other detainees had been held for more than three years without being charged. The US government contended the prisoners were enemy combatants and were not entitled to constitutional protections.

Alluding to the September 11 attacks on the US, Bush told reporters not to forget that there was an ongoing war against terrorism.

He said: "My most solemn obligation is to protect the American people from further attack."

- AP