US News
Red Cross to visit Guantanamo Bay prisoners
By DPA
Sep 7, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Geneva - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Thursday welcomed the US decision to move 14 top al-Qaeda suspects to Guantanomo Bay.

The ICRC said it intended to visit key terrorism suspects held in Guantanamo Bay as early as next week.

Access was guaranteed by Washington after President George W Bush acknowledged for the first time, in a surprise announcement Wednesday, the existence of secret CIA prisons.

He admitted 14 top al-Qaeda suspects had been moved from the prisons to the US-run military detention centre in Cuba.

ICRC spokeswoman Antonella Notari said. 'This is a good step particularly for the prisoners. We also received news that we can visit the prisoners and we welcome this too.'

The visit would take place under the usual terms and the organization would be able to speak to the prisoners in private.