Bush seeks to defuse Cheney torture row
George Bush has insisted that the US "does not torture"
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Saturday, 28, Oct 2006 04:23
US president George Bush has moved to deny fresh allegations that Washington supports the torture of terror suspects.
Mr Bush's clarification comes after vice president Dick Cheney suggested that a "dunk in the water" was an appropriate measure to take against suspects if it helped safeguard national security.
"This country doesn't torture, we're not going to torture," the president said in quotes reported by the Associated Press news agency.
"We will interrogate people we pick up off the battlefield to determine whether or not they've got information that will be helpful to protect the country," Mr Bush added.
Mr Cheney's remarks only came to light yesterday at a White House press briefing, having originally been made in an interview on a conservative radio programme in North Dakota.
The high-profile Republican was asked by the programme's presenter: "Would you agree a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?"
Cheney replied: "Well, it's a no-brainer for me."
Human rights groups have condemned the comments, saying that they referred to the technique of 'waterboarding', where victims are held underwater until they come close to drowning.
White House officials have also denied that Mr Cheney was in any way suggesting that the US condoned or engaged in the practice of waterboarding, but said it could not discuss interrogation techniques because of their classified nature.
The vice president's comments come less than a fortnight before the US midterm elections, in which changes to the control of both the senate and house of representatives are possible.