The US attorney general has defended his country's treatment of terror suspects by claiming the United States abhors torture and respects the rights of detainees.
Alberto Gonzales also said the United States did not transport terrorism suspects to nations where it was likely they could be tortured.
Human rights groups and other European critics have alleged that US planes may be using European
Alberto Gonzales, US Attorney General
airports and air space to send suspects to nations that may torture them. They have also criticised the US prison camp in Guantanamo.
A UN report last month called for the facility to be closed "without further delay" because it is effectively a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice.
The US attorney general - speaking today at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank in London - strongly denied such charges but acknowledged that people might interpret the term "torture" in different ways.
The United States abides by its own definition, which he said was the intentional infliction of severe mental or physical suffering.
"The US abhors torture and categorically rejects its use," Mr Gonzales said, adding that where appropriate the US sought assurances from foreign governments before transporting detainees there, and did not transport anyone "to a country if we believe it more likely than not that the individual would be tortured".
Mr Gonzales also said the United States did not use airports in Europe or anywhere else to move detainees for the purpose of torture.
"The United States has always been and remains a great defender of human rights and the rule of law," he said. "I regret that there has been concern or confusion about our commitment to the rule of law."
On the subject of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, Mr Gonzales said detainees were treated properly and afforded with extensive legal protections.
AP