The White House on Tuesday rejected the idea of creating an independent commission to look into the question of how detainees in Guantanamo and other places are being treated, saying the current investigating system is working.

"I would say the Department of Defense has worked to address these issues and hold people accountable and take steps to prevent abuse from happening again where it has occurred," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said at a news briefing.

McClellan said the Pentagon has launched 10 major investigations into allegations of abuse, and continue to look into such allegations. "And we think that's the way to go about this."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from California, said on Tuesday an independent commission is crucial to answering questions about the atmosphere that permitted abuses, troop training and the length of detentions at Guantanamo.

About 520 detainees are still being held at Guantanamo, most of whom were captured during the US-led war in Afghanistan. Some have been detained there for more than three years without charges or access to lawyers.

There have been calls for the closure of the Guantanamo prison over the past few weeks, after reports of alleged prisoner abuse and Koran desecration by US guards there have attracted worldwide attention.

Source: Xinhua