U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday defended the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo and said they will be given fair trials. Bush, speaking at a news conference during a visit to Denmark, said Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen raised concerns about the U.S. detention camp in Cuba. "The prisoners are well-treated in Guantanamo. There's total transparency. The International Red Cross can inspect anytime, any day," Bush said. "These people are being treated humanely. There are very few prison systems around the world that have seen such scrutiny as this one," he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. Bush noted that many prisoners had been sent home, while the U.S. judicial system is deciding whether to try others in military or civilian courts. "The reason why you haven't seen any adjudication of individuals is because our court system is determining where best to try people," he said. "Once the judicial branch of government makes its decision, then we'll proceed forward giving people fair and open trials." An estimated 540 detainees _ most of them captured during battles in Afghanistan _ are being held at the Guantanamo camp. Some detainees have been held for more than three years without being charged. The U.S. government contends the prisoners are enemy combatants and are not entitled to constitutional protections. Alluding to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, Bush told reporters not to forget that there was an ongoing war against terrorism. "My most solemn obligation is to protect the American people from further attack," he said.
