http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=564&e=6&u=/nm/20030330/ts_nm/iraq_usa_prisoners_dc_1



U.S. General Says No Access to American POWs



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday the International Committee of the Red Cross had not been allowed to see American prisoners of war and he demanded Iraq give them access as required by the Geneva Conventions.



On CBS's "Face the Nation," Myers said U.S. officials did not know precisely how many Americans were being held.



The Pentagon reports 17 Americans are missing, including 12 soldiers from a supply convoy ambushed near Nassiriya in southern Iraq a week ago. Five U.S. soldiers were later shown being interrogated on Iraqi television and the dead bodies of several others also were displayed.



Myers said U.S. authorities were not yet satisfied the captured Americans were being treated as required by the 50-year-old conventions that call for the humane treatment of war detainees.



"I don't think we are yet," he said. "We have over 4,000 enemy POWs, Iraqi POWs. We have allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit those.



"My understanding is that they've been trying to do that with the prisoners that the Iraqis hold and we would hope they would do the honorable thing, the right thing, and allow the International Committee of the Red Cross in to visit our POWs as they are required to do under the Geneva Conventions."



A spokeswoman for the ICRC said last Tuesday talks were underway with both the United States and Iraq about giving authorities access to the prisoners.