Red Cross chief to meet US officials amid Guantanamo, Iraq concerns

[Barrett808]

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said he was planning to meet senior US administration officials in Washington early next year amid ongoing concern about detainees held at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and in Iraq.

"I will go to the United States early next year to discuss these subjects, and others," ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger told journalists.

"The agenda is quite clear, detention will be a major item," he added.

Kellenberger met US Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice -- who has been appointed to replace Powell next year -- and Defense Department officials in Washington in January 2004.

Since then extracts of confidential ICRC reports to the US government criticising the treatment of detainees in Iraq, and in Guantanamo Bay, have been leaked in the media.

"We are not publicly commenting on this," Kellenberger reiterated Wednesday.

"In our opinion still some major concerns have not been addressed and that will continue," he added.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/afp/20041208/pl_afp/us_attacks_guantanamo

[bullimiami]

1. the red cross is useless against criminal regimes.

so they are going to washington to discuss what the administration already knows?

they need to start taking a more proactive approach, this documentation without any repercussions does nothing.