BAGHDAD, Iraq - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that Iraq's
future would depend on its enforcing the rule of law, but only its people and
political leaders could decide what type of law that would be.
US Attorney General
Alberto R. Gonzales seen here 14 August, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, met
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh and discussed the tactics used
by Iraqi security forces to combat a wave of violence, including torture.
[AFP] |
Gonzales said after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh that they
had discussed the use of "extraordinary measures," referring to policies toward
prisoners and detainees. He added that the U.S. would not tell Iraq how to
handle the issue.
"It is difficult to decide what is appropriate now and what is allowed under
the law. This decision will be made by the Iraqi government," Gonzales said. He
did not offer specifics or elaborate.
Gonzales is an architect of U.S. policy on the treatment of prisoners abroad
and the author of a 2002 memo saying President Bush had the right to waive laws
and treaties that protect prisoners of war. He has come under criticism for his
position but has denied allegations that it helped lead to abuses in Iraq.
He bristled at reporters' suggestions that American policies might be viewed
as condoning torture.
"This president has been very clear. This government has not engaged in
torture," Gonzales said.
Gonzales made the comments after a tour of the building where Saddam Hussein
has been put on trial in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the center of
Baghdad. Gonzales is on a one-day visit.
The attorney general said Washington is committed to helping build an Iraqi
court system, pointing to $100 million that he said Congress has appropriated
for the project.
The dreams of the Iraqi people, "can only be realized if there is a rule of
law in their country and greater security," Gonzales said.
Asked about the conduct of U.S. troops in Iraq, he said the vast majority
"meet the highest ethical standard" and those who did not would be prosecuted to
the fullest extent of the law.
One case that has inflamed tempers in Iraq involves a 14-year-old Iraqi girl
who was raped and murdered in Mahmoudiya, a town 20 miles south of Baghdad. Her
5-year-old sister and parents also were murdered. U.S. authorities arrested five
soldiers and a former private in connection with the case. The active-duty
soldiers faced a military hearing earlier this month to determine if they should
be court-martialed. A decision is pending.
In another case, U.S. Marines are accused of killing 24 civilians, including
women and children in November in the city of Haditha, 140 miles northwest of
Baghdad.
Saleh said after his meeting that he and Gonzales discussed the issue of
including Iraqi judges in investigations of alleged atrocities by U.S. soldiers
against Iraqis.
"The Iraqi side stresses the importance of participating in the
investigation, that the investigation is transparent, that the Iraqi public
opinion knows its developments, and that those found guilty are severely
punished," Saleh said.
