Cheney Condemned for Backing Water Torture

Only weeks after the United States military banned "waterboarding" - the simulated drowning of terrorist suspects under interrogation - the vice-president, Dick Cheney, has reignited America's debate on torture by endorsing the practice.

Mr Cheney's support for a technique disavowed by Congress and the Pentagon was immediately criticised by human rights organisations, putting the spotlight on a vice-president who has tried to maintain a low profile during the mid-term election campaign.

In an interview with a conservative radio host in North Dakota, Mr Cheney was asked whether he was in favour of a "dunk in the water" for terrorist detainees. He replied that he was, saying: "Well, it's a no-brainer for me, but for a while there, I was criticised as being the 'vice-president for torture'."

During the current election season, Mr Cheney, regarded as the least popular figure in an unpopular administration, has so far kept out of the limelight, confining his public appearances to fundraisers with Republican loyalists or interviews with conservative news organisations.

He has been an ardent defender of coercive interrogation practices. It was the Washington Post that dubbed him vice-president for torture last year. He led an aggressive campaign to grant legal amnesty to CIA personnel involved in interrogation of suspects at secret prisons, and has sought to reduce US adherence to Geneva convention bans on torture. However, the White House spokesman, Tony Snow, denied that Mr Cheney had explicitly endorsed waterboarding in his radio interview. President George Bush, also sought to distance himself from Mr Cheney's remarks. "This country does not commit torture. We are not going to torture," he told journalists yesterday.

In his radio interview, Mr Cheney went on to defend "robust interrogation" of detainees such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, who was reportedly subjected to waterboarding and other controversial techniques at secret CIA jails.

"Our ability to interrogate high-value detainees like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - that's been a very important tool that we've had to be able to secure the nation," said Mr Cheney. His comments were widely condemned by human rights groups. "If Iran or Syria detained an American, Cheney is saying that it would be perfectly fine for them to hold that American's head under water until he nearly drowns, if that's what they think they need to do to save Iranian or Syrian lives," said Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch.

The vice-president's remarks defied recent moves by the US military to establish more stringent rules. Last month, the US army issued a new field manual banning waterboarding. Congress has also legislated against such methods.