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Saturday, May 08, 2004

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International

My deepest apologies, says Rumsfeld

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, MAY 7. Under fire for the gross abuses of Iraqi prisoners, the United States Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, offered his "deepest apologies" to the Iraqi prisoners who were mistreated by American soldiers.

Mr. Rumsfeld told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he accepted full responsibility for what went on as those happened in his watch.

"These events occurred on my watch. As Secretary of Defence, I am accountable for them. I take full responsibility," Mr. Rumsfeld told members of the Senate panel. The top civilian official of the Pentagon will be appearing later this afternoon at a House panel. Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been shocked at the kind of outrages that have been committed on Iraqi prisoners; and some have asked Mr. Rumsfeld to step down.

There have also been calls on the U.S. President, George W. Bush, to fire him.

Many lawmakers have wondered if there was indeed a pattern of abuse, not just at the infamous Abu Ghraib facility but all over Iraq; and when and what did the Pentagon know about the goings on.

Congress also wants to know why members were not "properly and adequately" informed.

Mr. Rumsfeld's testimony before Congressional committees comes one day after the President offered his apologies. But fresh disclosures have surfaced that could spell trouble for the Republican administration — the Defence Secretary in particular.

Agency reports say that the International Committee of the Red Cross had warned American officials of abuse of prisoners in Iraq more than a year ago.

"We were dealing here with a broad pattern, not individual acts. There was a pattern and a system," Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Director of Operations for the ICRC, has been quoted.

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