The Minister for Foreign Affairs rejected opposition claims that the Government had failed to adequately condemn the abuse of prisoners in Iraq by US and UK forces.
Mr Cowen said the Government had made its concerns known directly to the US and UK authorities when the allegations first came to light.
"The Government fully supports the recent insistence by UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, that all detainees should be fully protected in accordance with the provisions of international human rights law. Moreover, Security Council resolution 1483 of May 22nd calls upon all concerned to comply fully with their obligations under international law. The treatment of prisoners of war is specifically covered by the third Geneva Convention."
He added that, on Monday the EU Council of Ministers, acting on the initiative of the Irish presidency, had adopted conclusions expressing abhorrence at recent evidence of the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners.
The Labour spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Michael D. Higgins, said that while Monday's statement had been welcome, the absence of a statement by the Department of Foreign Affairs or the presidency for such a long time after the atrocious acts in question took place caused great concern.
"Was the Minister aware of the report issued by the International Committee of the Red Cross last year? Does he agree the report suggest systematic abuse, rather than aberrant behaviour by a few individuals?"
He asked Mr Cowen if he favoured an independent international tribunal, as advocated by Amnesty International and others, to examine compliance with the Geneva Convention on all sides since the invasion of Iraq.
The Minister replied: "As regards the question on whether I support an independent tribunal, I simply made the point that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, which is regarded as independent, is concluding such an investigation and I await the findings of its report."
Mr John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South East) said that instead of using "mealy-mouthed words in the House", the Minister and the Taoiseach should condemn the acts of abuse to President Bush when he came to Ireland next month.
"There seems to be a pattern whereby the Minister claims, on the one hand, that he is on the side of the Americans while, on the other, that he is representing the values of the EU." He added that the New Yorker magazine had produced damning evidence that the abuse and torture were systematic and part of a secret operation approved by Mr Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice of which President Bush was aware. "If that is the case, does he agree the best possible protest he could make would be to withdraw facilities at Shannon Airport for the American war effort in Iraq?"
Mr Cowen said he would probably never be able to compete with the level of indignation Mr Gormley experienced while he questioned everyone else's sincerity when they did not engage in the semantics and rhetoric in which he engaged all the time. Mr Gormley said: "It is not rhetoric."
Mr Cowen said he had represented the EU presidency on the matter, adding that he had no criticism from colleagues about it.
