Bush to classify Taliban detainees as POWs
US President George W Bush has agreed to give the Taliban prisoners being held in Cuba the protection of the Geneva Convention, but it will not apply to suspected al-Qaida members.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the Taliban prisoners are covered by the 1949 treaty because Afghanistan was one of its signatories.
The move to classify Taliban detainees as prisoners of war means the US military is not entitled to interrogate the men beyond asking their name, rank and serial number.
Mr Bush had previously refused to consider those arrested in Afghanistan as POWs, sparking an outcry throughout the world.
