President Barack Obama's pick to head the CIA retreated today from a charge that the United States sent terrorism suspects to other countries so they could be tortured under questioning.
"On that particular quote, that people were transferred for purposes of torture, that was not the policy of the United States," Leon Panetta told a Senate hearing on his nomination to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"To that extent, yes, I would retract that statement."
Mr Panetta has long written of his opposition to abusive interrogations and torture. On the first day of his Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing yesterday, he was asked whether the CIA would continue "extraordinary renditions," where prisoners are sent outside the US for questioning.
He replied that Mr Obama had banned the use of secret "black sites" for questioning last month. "That kind of extraordinary rendition, where we send someone for the purposes of torture or for actions by another country that violate our human values, that has been forbidden by the executive order," he said.
He said he was uncertain of the validity of charges that terrorism suspects were tortured under questioning, but suspected that they were true, based on public reports.
Although Mr Obama banned the "black site" program, the CIA might continue to send suspects to third countries for questioning, provided there are verifiable assurances they would be treated humanely, Mr Panetta said.
The committee's vice-chairman, Republican Senator Kit Bond of Missouri, questioned Mr Panetta on the torture comments today and cautioned him against making "rash judgments based on hearsay."
Last year, Mr Panetta accused former president George W. Bush of supporting torture on the grounds that it would prevent another September 11th-style attack.
"Torture is illegal, immoral, dangerous and counterproductive. And yet, the president is using fear to trump the law," he wrote in an opinion article. He has said he viewed "waterboarding," a form of simulated drowning the CIA acknowledged using on three suspects, as a form of torture.
Mr Panetta also told the committee he supported restricting the CIA's use of outside contractors to conduct interrogations, which it has done in the past.
Mr Panetta, a former Democratic congressman and White House chief of staff under president Bill Clinton, is expected to easily win confirmation.
Reuters