Bush publicly backs Rumsfeld

US President George W. President Bush publicly supported Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during a public appearance at the Pentagon on Monday amid mounting international condemnations against the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

ĦĦĦĦIn a statement delivered after a closed briefing on Iraq by Rumsfeld and other senior military leaders, Bush praised Rumsfeld as "a strong secretary of defense" who is "doing a superb job."

Bush's support came when Rumsfeld was facing growing pressure to resign since the scandal of abusing Iraqi detainees by US and British soldiers was made public late last month.

"The president's reaction was one of deep disgust and disbelief that anyone who wears our uniform would engage in such shameful and appalling acts," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told a news briefing.

Meanwhile, the Senate on Monday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners after the House of representatives passed a similar one last Thursday. The Senate wasplanning another hearing on the prisoner abuse issue on Tuesday, to hear testimonies from witnesses including Antonio Taguba, author of an investigation report about the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Red cross told Iraq abuse "part of the process"

The report also said commanders of the coalition forces were alerted to abuses at the jail before they opened a criminal investigation.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva confirmed the confidential February 4 report, initially leaked on the Website of the Wall Street Journal, was true.

Britain: government says knows of abuse recently

He said the military police would immediately carry out any investigations once a complaint was made and would not rely on reports from the ICRC or the media.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minster Tony Blair expressed his "total condemnation and disgust at any abuses that have been carried out." He said he and other cabinet members only got aware of the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by coalition troops "in the last few days."

He also said his government would not object to the full publication of the report and will publish those sections in connection with British soldiers.

Public support for the ruling Labor Party has fallen to only 32 percent, the lowest level in 17 years, a poll result published by The Times in its Tuesday edition.

The poll result could create pressure on the Labor ahead of theJune 10 council elections when the country would also vote for members of the European Parliament.

China, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Syria urge thorough investigation

Liu said thorough investigation should be carried out and thoseheld responsible should be prosecuted according to law. The UnitedStates and Britain should adhere to the Geneva Conventions and other international conventions, and protect the basic human rights of Iraqi prisoners, Liu said.

Officials of major German political parties Monday sharply criticized the mishandling of Iraqi prisoners by US troops.

Chairwoman of the Green Party Angelika Beer said that her partycalled for an "aggressive investigation" of the incidents and demanded Washington assume political responsibility.

Edmund Stoiber, Bavarian Premier and Chairman of the Christian Social Union, said that the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners was a political and moral catastrophe, and those responsible must be held accountable for the abuse.

Interior Minister Otto Schily, who was currently visiting the United States, said that the abuse was a serious violation of whatthe United States claims to represent, such as democracy and rights to freedom. He urged the US government to punish those who abused the Iraqi prisoners.

Bush's staunch ally Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Monday also urged the United States to carry out a "severe and thorough" inquiry into the abuse issue.

However, he said, "What happened in Abu Ghraib prison cannot and must not obscure the mission of peace and freedom for which Italian troops are in Iraq."

In South Africa, anti-apartheid hero and former president Nelson Mandela on Monday criticized the United States and Britain over the abuses of prisoners.

In Syria, the official newspaper Times said on Monday the torture and humiliation of the Iraqi prisoners reflected the general attitudes of the coalition forces toward all Iraqi prisoners.

The paper condemned the acts as "heinous" and "systematic crimes" against all Iraqi people in general, saying that the US-led coalition forces have proved themselves to be "not a force of liberation and democracy but rather of occupation and brutality."

Source: Xinhua