Two more US soldiers set court brings more condemnation

The US military said Wednesday that two more US soldiers will stand trial in connection with abuses ofIraqi prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.

Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick and Sergeant Javal Davis were ordered to undergo a general court martial, said Brigadier GeneralMark Kimmitt, the coalition's deputy operations director.

Frederick will face several charges including maltreatment of detainees, assault and a charge of indecency relating to watching detainees commit asexual act, while Davis is accused of maltreatment and assault among other charges.

Photographs of naked Iraqi detainees being tormented by American guards have stirred outrage throughout the Arab world andundermined the US efforts to pose as a democratic advocator in Iraq.

Fresh photos show disturbing images of torturein Iraqi prison

At least some of them appeared to depict consensual sex involving US military personnel, said the senators, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The whole thing is disgusting and it's hard to believe that this actually is taking place in a military facility," Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, was quoted as saying.

The prisoner abuse scandal has rocked the Bush administration and apparently led to the beheading of an American in Iraq by Islamic militants who said they were avenging the abuse at the AbuGhraib prison.

Defending interrogation methods, US says troops to stay

Any instructions on military interrogations were approved by Defense Department lawyers and "deemed to be consistent with the Geneva Convention," he said.

Interrogation techniques used by US military personnel in Iraq have come under scrutiny following the revelation of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers in the Abu Ghraib prison.

Critics said techniques like sleep deprivation and permitting prisoners to be placed in stressful body positions breach the Geneva Convention.

Meanwhile, after meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman on Wednesday, US Central Command chief General John Abizaid said the US troops will remain in Iraq until it is stable. But he said that he is "ashamed" of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.

Blair admits Iraqi prisoner abuse immensely damaging

Facing questions Wednesday over accusations that one of his ministers misled parliament over abuse of Iraqis by British troops, Blair told the lawmakers he agreed that "the events of the past few days have been immensely damaging" and "any abuse by any coalition forces is completely unacceptable."

However, during his appearance at the House of Commons, lower house of the parliament, Blair rejected allegations that his ministers had covered up reports on the mistreatment by British troops of prisoners in Iraq.

Blair's comments drew criticism from the opposition Conservative Party leader Michael Howard, who said, "The prime minister has failed to give any explanation for why he did not seethis crucial report, which was presented to his special envoy to Iraq, for nearly three months."

According to a newspaper report in London, the Iraq's new leaders will demand running the country's prisons after sovereignty is handed over on June 30.

"All prisons should be under the control of a sovereign Iraqi government. There is no question about that," Adnan Pachachi, a member of the US-installed Governing Council, told The Times.

Scandal draws more condemnation from international community

"We are really shocked and deeply appalled about the news we heard, the humiliation and abuse of Iraqi prisoners. And we think that those who are responsible must be brought to justice," Fischer said.

The Greek government Wednesday condemned reported serious humanrights violations in Iraq, saying the country shares the abhorrence of the international public opinion over the photographs brought to light of the torture of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers.

"The Greek government condemns violence from wherever it originates," government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos stressed,adding that "violence only breeds violence."

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon also voiced regrets over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners but reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to contribute 3,600 troops to the US-led efforts to rebuild the wart-torn Arab country.

Ban called the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by US troops "inhuman behaviors" and expressed hope that no such cases would recur.

Source: Xinhua