Red Cross inspects US prison

Red Cross officials are expected to stay several days

International Red Cross officials have begun the task of evaluating conditions at the US military camp in Cuba, where al-Qaeda and Taleban prisoners are being held.

	80 prisoners detained in cages like these Buckets for toilets Thin foam mattresses Beards shaved Detailed plan of cells and conditions

In this first independent inspection, expected to last a week, Red Cross officials are meeting the prisoners in private to assess whether they are being treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war.

The captives are also being given the opportunity to communicate with their families by means of messages relayed by the Red Cross.

But the four envoys, who include a doctor and a translator, will not make their findings public. Instead, reports will be presented directly to the US authorities.

"Confidentiality will be respected," said Red Cross spokesman Darcy Christen. "As long as this confidentiality allows us to get results in the humanitarian sphere, we will keep to it."

Human rights

The US, which has said it is happy for the Red Cross to visit, insists the 110 captives are not PoWs, but illegal combatants, and so beyond the scope of the conventions.

The Red Cross however continues to dispute this stance. Mr Christen told a news conference that it was not possible to punish someone for being a combatant, and that in an international armed conflict anyone captured on the battlefield was presumed a prisoner of war.

There have been several calls for the US to respect the prisoners' rights.

The US insists camp conditions are humane

UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson has also reminded Washington of its international obligations towards prisoners of war as specified in the Geneva Conventions.

She said that, if there was a dispute on whether the captives were prisoners of war, a competent tribunal should be set up, in accordance with a provision in the conventions to decide their status.

Human Rights Watch has described the detainees' temporary wire fence cells - which are partially open to the elements - as "a scandal".

But, while stressing that conditions were humane, Camp commander Brigadier-General Lehnert also highlighted security concerns.

"Several [prisoners] have publicly stated here their intent to kill an American before they leave Guantanamo Bay. We will not give them that satisfaction," he said.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer has said President Bush is satisfied with the prisoners' treatment.

A separate team of British officials has also arrived at the camp to visit three detainees who claim British citizenship.

The group is to help identify the prisoners, report on their welfare and to help the US with their inquiries.