BRITAIN/THE US: The British Government last night dismissed as "completely false" claims that al-Qaeda suspects held in Guantanamo, Cuba, were being tortured.
The announcement came as the EU's foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, said the detainees should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.
As Downing Street confirmed the identity of one of three Britons being held at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, junior Foreign Office minister, Mr Ben Bradshaw, told MPs London was "fully satisfied" with the cooperation British officials had received from the American authorities.
But while the prospect of a rift between London and Washington receded, there was continuing concern among senior Labour MPs to establish the precise legal status of the prisoners and their entitlement to be treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention.
Ms Ann Clwyd, chairman of the Commons' Human Rights Select Committee, said: "We still don't know whether they are being held as prisoners of war. There clearly is an argument over that if the Americans are saying they are not. If there's an argument ... then it is for a court of law to determine what their status should be."
It is understood MI6 officers were part of the British team which reported that prisoners,including the three Britons, were in good health and had no complaints about their treatment.
As the British diplomats returned to London it was reported MI6 officers would remain in Cuba to cooperate with the American authorities in anticipation of the arrival of more British nationals arrested in Afghanistan.
Ms Clwyd demanded more details of the composition of the British team, who had remained behind, and who would determine where the prisoners would be sent to stand trial.
While London effectively awaited American decisions on such details, Mr Bradshaw signalled the Foreign Office would be urging that the prisoners be given access to lawyers and should not be subject to the death penalty.
Confirming that Mr Feroz Abbasi (21) from Croydon, London, was among those held, Mr Bradshaw said details of the other two Britons would not be disclosed until their families had been notified. All three prisoners had sent messages with the British officials for their next of kin.
After receiving their report a spokesman for the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, said the British team had confirmed the three British nationals had been able to speak freely and without inhibition. "The team also confirmed the three had no complaints about their treatment. They are in good physical health and there was no sign of any mistreatment. They have also had contact with the Red Cross There were no gags, no goggles, no ear-muffs, no shackles while the detainees are in their cells. They only wear shackles - and only shackles - when they are outside their cells."
Mr Bradshaw told MPs the detainees were free to conduct religious observances, had as much drinking water as they wanted, three meals a day and food which complied with their religious practices.
"During the visit the (British) officials received full cooperation from the camp's commander who said the more lurid allegations about torture or sensory deprivation are completely false," he said.
During an interview yesterday the European Union's foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, said the detainees should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.
Asked whether the Taliban and al-Qaeda detainees were prisoners of war, or illegal fighters as the US maintains, Mr Solana said: "For us, treatment of people like this should be as laid down by the international conventions which, of course, for Europeans, are part of international law. The Geneva Convention should be applied to all those who are arrested in similar circumstances," he told Spanish state television.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday the United States may have violated the Geneva Convention by releasing photographs of al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners.
•A French delegation will visit the US camp to determine if any of those captured in Afghanistan are French nationals, the foreign ministry said yesterday.
Yemen has also asked the United States for access to 17 Yemeni men held at the US camp to check on their condition, a senior Yemeni official said on yesterday. - (Reuters, AFP)
•British police yesterday released on police bail or transferred to the custody of the immigration service nine men they were holding under anti-terrorism laws. Five of the men were released on police bail pending further inquiries into allegations of fraud, Leicestershire Police said. - (PA)