Abuse appalling: Bush vows justice to Arabs

A sombre President Bush made a personal appeal to the Arab world on Wednesday, expressing his sorrow over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, vowing that those guilty would be punished. He declared that their actions do not represent ‘‘the America that I know.’’ ‘‘The actions of these few people do not reflect the hearts of the American people,’’ Bush said in an interview with the US-backed Al Hurra station. ‘‘The US people are just as appalled at what they have seen on TV as Iraqi citizens have.’’

Though not apologising, Bush voiced his own regrets, and said he knew he was speaking for millions of Americans, including the military. ‘‘First, the people in Iraq must understand that I view those practices as abhorrent,’’ Bush told Al Hurra. ‘‘They must also understand that what took place in that prison does not represent the America I know,’’ he said. ‘‘The America I know is a compassionate country that believes in freedom and cares about every individual. The America I know has sent troops into Iraq to promote freedom.’’

Bush said he hoped the people of Iraq would know ‘‘that in a democracy, everything is not perfect; that mistakes are made.’’ But in contrast to the dark era of the Saddam regime, Bush said, the abuses will be brought to light and the guilty brought to justice.

‘‘There will be investigations, people will be brought to justice,’’ Bush said. Bush said the US inquiry would look into whether such instances of abuse took place in other prisons. ‘‘We want to know the truth,’’ he said. — (NYT)