WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell assured Red Cross chief Jakob Kellenberger Thursday that Washington was dealing with reported abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
The State Department said that Kellenberger called Powell Thursday morning to discuss the situation at U.S.-run prisons in Iraq.
The Red Cross said it first informed U.S. authorities several months ago about the mistreatment of inmates inside Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
The Geneva-based agency, which regularly visits Iraqi prisoners, had until now refused to comment publicly on conditions inside Abu Ghraib.
In Washington, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters the Red Cross had visited Iraqi prisons "every five or six weeks since late last year."
He confirmed the U.S. government had "received some ... recommendations directly from the Red Cross."
The Red Cross, he said, does "raise issues and questions when these come during their visits" and "we have made sure that these were circulated in the U.S. government."
Powell and Kellenberger talked about "our desire to get to the bottom of these allegations, to ensure that they are fixed and that people are punished," the spokesman said.
