Dirt to pavement transition

At Iraqi Prison, Rumsfeld Says Abuse Will Be Dealt With Openly
By THOM SHANKER

Published: May 13, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 13 ?- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, making an unannounced trip to Iraq amid a global furor over mistreatment of detainees, strode into Abu Ghraib prison today and promised that the world will see America openly and freely punish any soldier guilty of abuse.


"In recent months, we've seen abuses here, under our responsibility, and it's been a body blow for all of us," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "The people who engaged in abuses will be brought to justice. The world will see how a free system, a democratic system, functions and operates ?- transparently, with no cover-up."

On a whirlwind visit on a day in which the drab yellow walls of the prison blended into the drab yellow desert and dust-filled sky, Mr. Rumsfeld was driven around Abu Ghraib, passing outside the "hard tier" cell block where the abuses occurred.

Hundreds of detainees rushed toward concertina wire as Mr. Rumsfeld rolled past inside an Israeli-made armored bus. Most detainees stood silently. Some waved clothes and jeered. A few held up hand-lettered signs or shirts in English, although with misspellings and incorrect grammar.

"What are you going to do about scandl?" said one. "Why we are here?" said another. A third read, "Most of us are inocents."

After a 14-hour flight to Kuwait, a 90-minute flight to Baghdad and a 7-minute helicopter ride from the American military headquarters west to Abu Ghraib, Mr. Rumsfeld arrived at the prison where outrage over abuses has stained America's image and brought calls from some in Congress for the defense secretary to resign.

Mr. Rumsfeld spoke with no detainees, but in meetings with American commanders and military police who have replaced those serving during the time of alleged abuses, Mr. Rumsfeld sought to assure Iraqis and the world that they can trust American military justice.

But he also sought to highlight plans under way that military officers hope will likewise give confidence that the abuses will not be repeated.

In a move that is as practical as it is symbolic, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, the new deputy commanding general for detention operations, said that all prisoners under coalition control would be moved out of the old Abu Ghraib structures and into new quarters by the end of May. The new "Camp Redemption" will still be within the Abu Ghraib compound, and the former prison blocks will be operated by the new Iraqi government, holding those arrested on criminal charges.

In comments to reporters on the flight to Kuwait, Mr. Rumsfeld indicated that he may not be satisfied with an explanation that the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison was solely the acts of a small band of misguided military police, and that he may be looking higher up the chain of command.

"We care about command systems working," he said.

The prison, for decades the scene of murder and torture under Saddam Hussein, has now become, in photos circulating the globe, a symbol of abuse by American military jailers and a stain on American pride.

Mr. Rumsfeld cautioned that his mission to Iraq should not be viewed as a solo journey that could heal the wounds to America's image from the detainee abuse.

"We're not on an inspection tour," he said. "If anyone thinks I'm there to throw water on the fire, they're wrong."

Even so, Bush administration officials have expressed fears that the signature image of the war is no longer cheering Iraqis toppling Mr. Hussein's statue in Baghdad, but may instead become American soldiers laughing and giving "thumbs up" signs as Iraqi detainees are abused and humiliated.

Mr. Rumsfeld, who has fended off calls from some in Congress for his resignation, made clear he was aware that this trip will likewise be scrutinized throughout Iraq ?- including by some who might claim jurisdiction to try the American soldiers in their own courts once sovereignty is returned on June 30.

"The United States government is going to take care of the people who end up being convicted of some wrongdoing," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "The justice system of the United States is serious, professional ?- and it's under way."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/13/international/middleeast/13CND-RUMS.html?hp