Pressure mounts on Blair over Iraq abuse

Pressure mounted on Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday over allegations British troops abused Iraqi prisoners, with politicians demanding to know what action the government took over reports of mistreatment.

Hounded by members of all parties, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon agreed to make a statement to parliament today.

Mr Hoon will face a grilling after the government said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had raised concerns with it over the treatment of British-held prisoners back in February.

Mr Blair's government has already been rocked by the suicide of Iraq weapons expert David Kelly during a row over the case for going to war. Mr Hoon came under intense pressure during the subsequent inquiry but survived media calls for his resignation.

The ICRC said on Friday visits to detention centres in Iraq had revealed infringements of international treaties on prisoners of war that were "tantamount to torture".

It said the alleged abuse was mainly inflicted by US troops, but it had given London a report raising concerns about British-run jails.

Former foreign secretary Robin Cook of Blair's Labour Party urged the government yesterday to publish the ICRC report.

"Until they do, really we cannot see what independent people are saying about the problem and how severe it is," he told BBC Television.

The Ministry of Defence said the report was confidential and that it had acted on the recommendations.

Mr Blair said yesterday any abuse was inexcusable but called for a sense of perspective, saying thousands of soldiers in Iraq were doing good work.

"This appalling treatment of Iraqi prisoners, if it happened, is totally unacceptable, be it by British or US soldiers or anyone else in the coalition," he told French LCI television on a visit to Paris.

Last week, The Mirror newspaper printed photographs apparently showing troops urinating on a prisoner and beating him. Their authenticity has been questioned but The Mirror has since published evidence from a soldier who said he had witnessed savage beatings of Iraqis.

Washington has borne the brunt of the scandal following the publication of photographs of US soldiers humiliating naked prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib jail.

The Ministry of Defence said yesterday three British soldiers had interrogated prisoners at Abu Ghraib from January to April this year, but they "were not aware of any allegations or incidents of abuse".

The ministry also confirmed military police had completed an inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse of Iraqi detainees and made recommendations to the Army Prosecuting Authority, which will decide whether to bring charges.

In a separate case, families of Iraqis are seeking compensation at London's High Court, alleging their relatives were unlawfully killed by British officers.

Britain is currently deciding whether to send more troops to Iraq to fill a hole left by the withdrawal of Spanish forces.

Blair's popularity has plummeted since the Iraq war, prompting calls for his resignation from within his own party.