The Pentagon on Monday rejected a call to close the Guantanamo prison for foreign terrorism suspects and declined to express regret over five cases of U.S. jailers “mishandling” the Koran there.

US guards or interrogators kicked the Islamic holy book at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, stepped on it and soaked it in water, and in one case a guard’s urine splashed through an air vent onto a prisoner and his Koran, US Southern Command said.

Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman, said the United States was not considering shutting the Guantanamo jail, as suggested by a senior Senate Democrat. “Guantanamo serves a vital purpose in many ways.” Mr Whitman said. He said some prisoners are “very, very, very dangerous people”.

“They want to do harm not only to Americans but to US interests overseas, to our friends and allies and these are people that if released would certainly be found back on the battlefield in the war on terror.”

Mr Whitman declined to express regret over the five incidents of what the Southern Command inquiry labelled “mishandling” the Koran, although he said, “any time that our personnel do something that either violates our policy or procedures is unfortunate”.

The recent inquiry showed the vast majority of US personnel “understood the procedures for handling not only the Koran but other religious items, and have a great appreciation for the cultural as well as the religious aspects,” he said.

Reuters, 6 June 2005