Bush ‘sick’ at prisoner abuse in Iraq

US President George W Bush staunchly defended his handling of the Iraqi war over the weekend but pledged that those responsible for mistreating prisoners would be dealt with in an open way.

Mr Bush was responding to concerns raised by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and President Mary McAleese to the treatment of Iraqi prisoners and Taliban prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Mr Ahern told Bush about Ireland’s “disgust” at the treatment of these prisoners during the EU/US summit at Dromoland Castle in County Clare. President McAleese told the US leader of her deep disquiet about the treatment of the prisoners in the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.

Mr Bush said: “I told them both that I was sick at what had happened those prisoners. I assured them we will deal with it in a transparent way.”

He told a joint press conference that the instances of abuse would be fully investigated and the culprits dealt with in an open way.

But Mr Bush claimed that the bitter differences which divided Europe and the US at the start of the Iraq war were over. “We are all agreed that a democratic and peaceful Iraq with its territorial integrity intact is to all our benefits,” he added.

Asked by one of the White House press corps why he did not seem to be “such a popular guy” in Ireland, Mr Bush said the only poll that concerned him was next November when the Americans will vote for a new president.

Mr Bush said there was $2.2 trillion worth of trade between the US and EU and all he was worried about was doing his job.

“And I will do it the way I think is necessary. We will set a vision and I will lead and we’ll just let the chips fall where they will,” the US president added.

After the EU/US summit on Saturday, Mr Bush flew to Turkey for a NATO summit in advance of the official hand over of power to the interim Iraqi government on June 30.

Mr Bush said he hoped NATO could have a role in building democracy in Iraq by helping it train and equip its own new police force.

On Northern Ireland, the US president reiterated his commitment to the Irish peace process. He said he was aware that decisions had to be made in September and that the US special envoy to Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss was available to provide help if required.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the summit had strengthened EU and US transatlantic relationship and they were determined to have a successful World Trade agreement.

At the end of the summit, both the EU and the America pledged support to the new Iraqi government. And they also issued six other joint declarations on the Middle East, AIDS, combating terrorism and weapons proliferation.

While Irish officials rejected claims by the media before the joint press conference that the Americans were insisting that only six questions could be asked, President George Bush ensured that this was the case.

When one reporter attempted to ask the seventh question he walked off the podium saying: “I have got to go to Turkey.”