|
US refuses to rule out use of torture
By correspondents in Washington
11/14/05 "Herald
Sun" -- -- THE White House has refused to rule out
the use of torture in an effort to prevent a major terrorist attack,
arguing the war on terror could present a "difficult dilemma" and
the US administration was duty-bound to protect the American people.
The comment, by US national security adviser Stephen Hadley, came
amid heated national debate about whether the CIA and other US
intelligence agencies should be authorised to use tough
interrogation techniques to extract from terror suspects information
that may help prevent future assaults.
The US Senate voted 90-9 early last month to attach an amendment to
a defence spending bill that would prohibit "cruel, inhuman or
degrading" treatment of detainees in US custody. But the White House
has threatened to veto the measure authored by Republican Senator
John McCain and has lobbied senators to have the language removed or
modified to allow an exemption for the Central Intelligence Agency.
During a trip to Panama earlier this month, President George W. Bush
said that Americans "do not torture."
However, appearing on CNN's "Late Edition" program, Mr Hadley
elaborated on the policy, making clear the White House could see
situations where the promise not to torture might not apply.
"The President has said that we are going to do whatever we do in
accordance with the law," the national security adviser said.
"But... you see the dilemma. What happens if on September 7th of
2001, we had gotten one of the hijackers and based on information
associated with that arrest, believed that within four days, there's
going to be a devastating attack on the United States?"
He insisted that it was "a difficult dilemma to know what to do in
that circumstance to both discharge our responsibility to protect
the American people from terrorist attack, and follow the
president's guidance of staying within the confines of law."
Mr Hadley also pointed to the possibility of a compromise with the
Senate on the McCain amendment, saying the White House was holding
consultations with congressional leaders about the issue and hoped
to be able to come up "with some kind of a common approach that will
allow us to both safeguard the country and deal with the president's
guidance that we do not torture."
© Herald and Weekly Times
Translate
this page
(In accordance with Title 17
U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information for research and educational purposes.
Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the
originator of this article nor is Information Clearing House
endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) |
