Images of Iraqi prisoners being tortured and humiliated were abhorrent and an affront to military discipline, says New Zealand army chief Major General Jerry Mateparae.

"Everyone who has seen those images would say they are abhorrent and an affront to proper military discipline," General Mateparae was quoted Wednesday by The Dominion Post as saying.

He was reluctant to comment on how damaging it was to the coalition military effort in Iraq but "it's a huge issue for the Americans" with President Bush apologizing and senior commanders having to deal with the matter.

He said the New Zealand military over the last five years had put a lot of emphasis on the laws of armed conflict. Soldiers, sailors and airmen had been reminded of their obligations before every deployment.

"There's the common sense thing that you would treat people as you would want to be treated. Then there are the rules of engagement and so on and the handling of prisoners -- we don't interrogate them," General Mateparae said.

All personnel were trained on how to treat prisoners humanely and "our people know if they conduct an illegal act they will be held accountable."

This included the elite Special Air Service (SAS), which is often involved in high-risk operations -- "there's nothing dirty in the tasks they go about", he said.

General Mateparae, who visited the 61-strong New Zealand engineering contingent in Basra last month, emphasized that while the New Zealand contingent were working and based with British forces, they were not part of the occupation force.

However, this did not eliminate the threat. Over the weekend they were again confined to base in Basra because of local unrest and a confrontation with British forces.

Overall General Mateparae said the troops were enjoying their work and making a positive contribution.

They had a good working relationships with those around them --both the Iraqis and the British -- but contingency plans were in place if they had to be withdrawn before they were due to return home in September, he said.

Source: Xinhua