WORLD POLITICS

WORLD POLITICS:

BUSH "SORRY" FOR PRISONER ABUSE

President George Bush has apologised for the first time for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops.

Donald Rumsfeld Secretary Rumsfeld] has served our nation well... He is an important part of my cabinet and he'll stay in my cabinet , said President Bush.

Mr Bush told reporters at the White House he was "sorry for the humiliation suffered by the prisoners and their families". His comments came a day after he was criticised for failing to apologise during interviews with two Arab TV channels on the abuse scandal. The furore grew on Thursday with the release of more shocking pictures.

Rebuke: Mr Bush was speaking in the Rose Garden after delayed talks with Jordan's King Abdullah finally took place. Challenged about the position of embattled US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Mr Bush said: "I told him, I should have known about the pictures and the report" which was done by the Pentagon two months ago. He has said he only realised the extent of the abuse when he saw the pictures on television. But he insisted that he still supported Mr Rumsfeld, who has been in the firing line over his handling of the scandal. Mr Bush said Mr Rumsfeld "has served our nation well. He is an important part of my cabinet and he'll stay in my cabinet". The Bush administration has faced widespread revulsion over the photographs of laughing US troops next to Iraqi prisoners in humiliating, often sexual, poses. Mr Bush said they had made Americans "sick to our stomachs" - and repeated his insistence the photos did not reflect "the true nature and heart of America".

Abu Ghraib prison

8,000 prisoners held in 14 separate jails Three main prisons - Abu Ghraib and Camp Cropper in west Baghdad; Camp Bucca, near Umm Qasr - hold inmates for extended periods Almost all inmates are "security internees"- suspected of posing a threat to the coalition

Resignation calls: Earlier, the most senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Mr Rumsfeld had been engaged in a "cover-up" of the allegations of abuse and should resign. She told reporters she did not accept Mr Rumsfeld's repeated assurances that the Pentagon had done enough by investigating the claims of abuse inside the Abu Ghraib jail as soon as they were made, and that the inquiry was announced by officers. Tom Harkin, another Democrat, also called for Mr Rumsfeld to quit, becoming the first member of the US Senate to do so. There has been widespread criticism from US politicians that once the Pentagon knew the scale of the abuse - and in particular that it was depicted in graphic photos which would be broadcast - it did not do more to inform Congressional committees. Mr Rumsfeld is likely to face tough questioning about the abuse on Friday when he appears before the Senate Armed Forces Committee along with the US' top military officer, Gen Richard Myers.

New photos: The scandal, which Mr Bush acknowledges has had a "terrible" impact on the US' standing across the Middle East, was fuelled again on Thursday with the publication of more photos. As well as the photo of the soldier with a prisoner on a dog leash, another picture released in the US press shows a soldier giving a thumbs-up sign next to what appears to be a corpse. The Washington Post says it cannot eliminate the possibility that some of the latest images were staged, but reporter Christian Davenport says he believes the pictures are authentic. He said they were taken in mid-2003 and were scattered among about 1,000 images that also include photos of soldiers posing on camels and general life in the American military in Iraq. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross has said that it repeatedly urged the US to take "corrective action" at Abu Ghraib. The ICRC, which visits prisoners held by coalition authorities in Iraq, had previously refused to comment publicly on conditions at the prison.