|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 30 May 2004 |
 |
|
 |
World |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
EU, Latin America condemn US prison abuse in Iraq GUADALAJARA, Mexico, May 28 (Reuters) European and Latin American leaders condemned the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops on Friday and pushed Washington to work with the United Nations rather than go it alone in its war on terror. Despite initial opposition from Britain, dozens of leaders at a summit in Mexico agreed to condemn the sexual abuse and humiliation of inmates by American soldiers at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. Violent street protests erupted on Friday evening with demonstrators throwing rocks and metal bars at riot police, who fired mustard gas canisters in response. They beat up and arrested at least six demonstrators in the fighting a few hundred yards (metres) from where summit leaders met. Inside the meeting, Iraq was the big issue. Photographs and videotapes of the abuse have battered U.S. President George W. Bush's election-year approval ratings, alienated public sentiment in the Arab world and led even allies in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq to join protests. "We express our abhorrence at recent evidence of the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraqi prisons. Such abuse is contrary to international law," the European Union, Latin American and Caribbean leaders said in a declaration at the end of their one-day summit. "We energetically condemn all forms of abuse, torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment against people, including prisoners of war, wherever they occur," they said after hours of wrangling over the wording of the document. Latin American nations wanted tougher language in condemning what they described as the torture of Iraqi inmates, but the EU blocked those efforts. Cuba's government even likened the video and photo images of U.S. troops humiliating naked Iraqi prisoners to those of Nazi Germany. "Not since the dark days of Hitler ... has humanity observed images of such emotional impact," it said. A bitter dispute over how strongly to condemn the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba foiled efforts to present the summit as a success story of two regions working together on international issues. The leaders did agree, however, to push for a reformed and stronger United Nations to lead the way in resolving conflicts instead of allowing individual nations to act alone - a pointed reference to the United States, the world's remaining superpower. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
