US President George W Bush has vigorously defended interrogation practices used by the US in the so-called war on terror.
Speaking during a news conference today with Panamanian President Martin Torrijos on the last day of his five-day Latin America trip, Mr Bush said: "Our country is at war and our government has the obligation to protect the American people."
"Any activity we conduct is within the law," he claimed."We do not torture,"
The US Senate last week reaffirmed its support for legislation banning torture despite White House opposition. The administration is seeking an exemption under the legislation for the CIA.
Vice President Dick Cheney has argued that US interrogators must be granted flexibility when questioning terrorist suspects but maintains current US policies do not permit torture.
The European Union is investigating reports, which have not been confirmed by the White House, that the CIA maintains a network of prisons in eastern Europe and Asia, where it holds terrorist suspects.
In another blow to the beleagured administration, the US Supreme Court agreed today to consider a challenge to the administration's handling of military tribunals for foreign terror suspects. The case, which won't be decided for months, is a major test of presidential wartime powers.
Agencies