CHINA: The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, last night called on the American authorities to act "quickly and fully" on recommendations of the International Committee of the Red Cross in relation to the Guantanamo Bay prisoners.
The al-Qaeda prisoners are entitled to the protection of human-rights laws, irrespective of their exact status under the Geneva Convention, the Minister said.
Speaking in Beijing at the start of an official three-day visit, Mr Cowen denied that the Government has been ambiguous in its position on the prisoners.
He said his view has been clear and has been emphasised both in public and in private discussion. He said the Secretary General of the UN, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Taoiseach have all sent the same clear message.
"All detained persons are entitled to the protection of human-rights statutes and humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions.
"Irrespective of the prisoners' exact status under the Geneva Conventions, which is a matter for a tribunal to decide, this must still be the case. There can be no trade-off in this area," the Minister said.
Mr Cowen said he was expressing his views "as a friend of the US".
"In confronting those who abuse and violate all forms of human rights, it is important that we maintain the highest standards at all times," he added.
Mr Cowen said it is a matter under the Geneva Convention for a tribunal to determine the status of prisoners to be set up by the jurisdiction in whose territory the prisoners are being detained - in this case the United States.
"The International Red Cross have gone into Guantanamo Bay and are in discussions with the US ... and I have stated I want to see the recommendations of the Red Cross acted on quickly and fully," Mr Cowan said.
Senior Irish officials are to travel to Afghanistan to decide on how best the €12 million pledged by Ireland for reconstruction of the devastated country will be spent.
Mr Cowen said last night department officials will go to Kabul within weeks on a "needs assessment" tour.
Mr Cowen, who represented Ireland at the Afghanistan aid conference in Tokyo when $4.5 billion was pledged from all over the world, had a 20-minute meeting with the Afghan interim leader, Mr Hamid Karzai, on Monday.
Mr Cowen told The Irish Times last night in Beijing he was confident a "clear route map" was now in place to help put Afghanistan back on track.
"This is major challenge but there is a very clear-headed vision coming from the Karzai administration which adheres to a pluralist democratic model that upholds individual rights," he said.
He arrived in the Chinese capital yesterday on a three-day visit during which he will have talks with the Chinese premier, Mr Zhu Rongji, and the foreign minister.
Mr Cowen echoed concerns of other donor countries that security in Afghanistan be maintained and that warlords should not be allowed take control.
While the fund-raising process in Tokyo was last night declared a success, questions remain about how fast the money will flow. More than $1.8 billion is to be provided in the first crucial year. Mr Karzai said after the conference he was happy with the outcome.
He arrives in Beijing today for talks with Chinese leaders. China has only pledged $1 million in aid.
Funding priority is to be given to education, especially for women and girls, health and sanitation, the infrastructure, the economic system and agriculture.
The World Bank president, Mr James Wolfensohn, said he was satisfied that a very good start had been made and that the immediate $1.8 billion pledged will give Afghanistan "breathing room" for 12 months.
The World Bank and the United Nations had estimated that $15 billion would be needed over a decade, with $1.7 billion required in the first year.