I'll post comments from UK media on Gonzales' address as I find them.
"Gonzales Defends US Policy on Torture," by Beth Gardiner - AP (London), 7 March 2006
The U.S. attorney general defended his country's treatment of terror suspects against criticism from Europe and elsewhere, saying Tuesday that the United States abhors torture and respects the rights of detainees.
Alberto Gonzales also said the U.S. did not transport terrorism suspects to nations where it was likely they could be tortured.
Human rights groups and other European critics have alleged that U.S. planes may be using European airports and air space to send suspects to nations that may torture them. They have also criticized the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo, and a U.N. report last month called for the facility to be closed "without further delay" because it is effectively a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice.
The U.S. attorney general — speaking Tuesday at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank in London — vehemently denied such charges, but acknowledged that people might interpret the term "torture" in different ways. The U.S. abides by its own definition, which he said was the intentional infliction of severe mental or physical suffering.
"The U.S. abhors torture and categorically rejects its use," Gonzales said, adding that where appropriate the U.S. sought assurances from foreign governments before transporting detainees there, and did not transport anyone "to a country if we believe it more likely than not that the individual would be tortured."
Gonzales also said the U.S. did not use airports in Europe or anywhere else to move detainees for the purpose of torture.
"The United States has always been and remains a great defender of human rights and the rule of law," Gonzales said. "I regret that there has been concern or confusion about our commitment to the rule of law."
On the subject of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, Gonzales said detainees were treated properly and afforded with extensive legal protections....
Gonzales defended [detainees'] treatment and said the U.S. had to use all available tools to fight terror, reiterating U.S. claims that the detainees were "highly dangerous people" including terrorist trainers, bomb makers and potential suicide bombers.
"We are aware of no other nation in history that has afforded procedural protections like these to enemy combatants," he said.
Gonzales said the U.S. was continually reassessing the need for the camp to remain open, and could consider closing it if circumstances changed.
He acknowledged disagreements between the U.S. and Europe on tactics in the fight against terror, but said it was critical that the allies continued to work together. British Prime Minister Tony Blair last week said Guantanamo was an "anomaly" that he hoped would be closed.
Gonzales said U.S. law also forbids cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees in the United States or abroad by military or civilian personnel.
He declined to comment on alleged interrogation techniques at Guantanamo, such as water boarding, during which the victim believes he is about to drown, or the use of dogs to intimidate prisoners.
"If we went around this room, people would have different definitions of what constitutes torture, depending on the circumstances," he said.
Gonzales' ISS appearance coincides with the UK publication of the first book-length account of Guantanamo from a former prisoner:
"Former Guantanamo Prisoner Publishes Book," by Paisley Dodds - AP (London) 7 March 2006
In the first book known to be published by a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, Moazzam Begg says his three years in detention were marked by beatings, fear and unexpected friendships with his captors.
In "Enemy Combatant: A British Muslim's Journey to Guantanamo and Back," Begg describes his upbringing as a British Muslim from Birmingham who studied at a Jewish academy and sang Christian hymns in high school.
"I understood why the Americans felt they needed to question me," Begg, 37, told The Associated Press. "But I've never understood how they could have detained me for years."
It isn't difficult to see why Begg attracted suspicion.
He says he was working on an aid project building wells and schools in Afghanistan on Sept. 11, 2001. It was partly financed by the Muslim community in Birmingham, he said.
Years earlier, he went to Bosnia to support Muslims in the war, and visited camps in Afghanistan where Muslims — some linked to the Taliban or al-Qaida — were trained to fight in Chechnya and Kashmir. He also visited a front line in Afghanistan, but says he never trained or fought there.
"Back home in Birmingham, I began to feel in all the confusion of speaking both English and Urdu. ... the one thing that was coherent ... was my religion," he writes in the book, released in Britain on Monday.
Begg was freed last year after being held for three years without charges — two years at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and about a year at U.S. camps in Afghanistan. Some 490 men are still held in Guantanamo, some for years without charge.
The United States accused Begg of being a member of the al-Qaida terror network, which planned the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as recruiting for al-Qaida, sending money and support to al-Qaida camps, attending training camps linked to the terror group and preparing to fight U.S. or allied forces.
He admits to supporting militant Muslims in Bosnia, Chechnya and Kashmir, but says he does not support suicide bombers or the Sept. 11 attacks. He even admits to buying a handgun in Afghanistan, but says he never received military training or planned to fight.
Despite his release, the U.S. government still views him with suspicion and has offered no apology for holding him or designating him an enemy combatant, a classification that provides fewer protections than prisoner of war status.
Begg said he was handed over to the U.S. military by Pakistani forces in January 2002 after fleeing U.S. bombing in Afghanistan with his family. From there, he was held in Kandahar and Bagram, where he said he was beaten and threatened.
Begg also said he saw U.S. troops severely beating detainees....
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement there was "no credible evidence that Begg was ever abused by U.S. forces." However, he declined to answer specific questions or say whether Begg's abuse allegations were ever investigated.
"He (Begg) certainly is a sympathizer, a recruiter, a financier and a combatant," Whitman said in the statement. "He admitted, and this again is a quote from him, `I was armed and prepared to fight alongside the Taliban and al-Qaida against the U.S. and others and eventually retreated to Tora Bora to flee from U.S. forces when our front lines collapsed.'"
"So Begg's story today is a whole lot different than what we know about Begg and what Begg has told us about Begg. Why is his story different? Well, his story is different because he is clearly lying. It shouldn't surprise us that he's lying. We know that terrorists are trained to lie," the statement said.
Begg says his story was twisted over a period of three years and if the United States had a case against him, they would have charged him.
He says the so-called confession he signed in Guantanamo came after nearly three years in prison. He said he thought if he agreed to the statements his U.S. captors had written — in their "terrible" English" — he would easily be able to prove his innocence in court.
He says he still hasn't seen a copy of the statement he signed despite requests. The government refused Monday to provide a copy to the AP....
Added 8 March 2006:
The text of Gonzales' address (as prepared) was distributed in a DOJ press release:
Prepared Remarks for Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales at the International Institute for Strategic Studies - press release, US Dept. of Justice, 7 March 2006 (distributed from London by US Newswire)
...As democratic societies anchored on civil liberties and the rule of law, America and Europe face enormous challenges in responding effectively to the terrorist threat. And let us be frank: the United States and some of its closest democratic allies have disagreed on how to approach certain aspects of the struggle against terrorism. The war in Iraq and issues relating to the detention of terrorists and foreign fighters are extremely difficult and have caused particular concern. But I want to begin by underscoring that we are committed to working together with our Allies and partners, in full respect of our respective national sovereignties, and we wish to remain engaged in an open and constructive dialogue on these challenging issues. That is precisely what brings me here today.
Although these issues are complex we must not let the consensus between the United States and Europe in fighting terrorism be weakened over differences in how we approach the fight. Prevailing in this global struggle is essential to us all -- and only through a strong continued partnership between the United States and Europe will we be able to disrupt militant conspiracies, destroy their ability to commit terrorist acts, and give millions in a troubled region a hopeful alternative to the terrorists' ideology of hatred, fear, and repression. Freedom, after all, is not for Americans and Europeans alone, but is the enduring hope of all humanity. A close and united partnership between Europe and the United States remains vital to the security and prosperity of all our countries and, indeed, the whole world....
Also see:
"Minister Says Guantanamo Must Close to Save Democracy," by Andy McSmith - the Independent (UK), 8 March 2006
The US camp at Guantanamo Bay should be closed before it undermines the cause of democracy worldwide, a Foreign Office minister has warned.
The remarks by Kim Howells yesterday coincided with one of the most direct appeals yet by a high-ranking American figure for British support over Guantanamo Bay's continued existence. The Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, on a visit to London, said the that camp was lawful and necessary.
Mr Howells, the minister in charge of British policy in the Middle East, warned: "Our alliance with America is based on shared values. If those shared values are seen by the rest of the world to be terribly flawed that actually undermines the cause of democracy. If Guantanamo is undermining those shared values then it should go, it should close." Mr Howells went on to claim that the US had a problem with the "time scale."
"If you closed the camp down tomorrow, what would you do with these people? Where would they go? It's a difficult one. But the central point is if it is seen to be undermining the cause of democracy and freedom, you have got to address that."
Mr Howells' comments go beyond anything said about Guantanamo Bay by Tony Blair, or by the Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Mr Blair's official spokesman said yesterday: "He has always said that it is an anomaly that should be dealt with sooner rather than later, but he has equally recognised the circumstances under which it arose."...
Added 9 March 2006 - also see:
"Doctors Attack US Over Guantanamo" - BBC News, 10 March 2006 (available as of 8:30 pm EST on 9 March)
More than 250 medical experts have signed a letter condemning the US for force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The doctors said physicians at the military prison had to respect inmates' right to refuse treatment.
The letter, in the medical journal, the Lancet, said doctors who used restraints and force-feeding should be punished by their professional bodies....
The open letter in the Lancet was signed by more than 250 top doctors from seven countries - the UK, the US, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Italy and the Netherlands.
"We urge the US government to ensure that detainees are assessed by independent physicians and that techniques such as force-feeding and restraint chairs are abandoned," the letter said.
The doctors said the World Medical Association - a world body representing physicians, including those in the US - specifically prohibited force-feeding.
Detainees at the camp have said hunger-strikers were strapped into chairs and force-fed through tubes inserted in their noses.
More than 80 inmates are said to have gone on hunger strike in December last year - a figure that has now reportedly dropped to four.
Dr David Nicholl, a UK neurologist who initiated the Lancet letter, told the Reuters news agency the allegations of force-feeding represented "a challenge" to the American Medical Association, which is a signatory to the World Medical Association's code of conduct.
"Are they going to obey those declarations [forbidding force-feeding], or are... [they] literally not worth the paper they are written on?" he asked.
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