Washington - US President George W Bush on Tuesday cleared the way for continued CIA interrogations of terrorism suspects, signing a law he says is vital to preventing new attacks.
The measure also legalizes future military trials of terror suspects at the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One of those whom Bush wants to face justice is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said it would be 'a month or two at least' before trials by so-called military commissions begin.
After months of emotional political debate, the signing sealed a crucial part of Bush's agenda and a victory over critics who say the law undermines US standing in the world.
Bush insisted it complies 'with the spirit and the letter of our international obligations,' a reference to the Geneva Conventions on the humane treatment of prisoners.
'With this bill, America reaffirms our determination to win the war on terror,' Bush said at a White House ceremony, flanked by senior Cabinet members, the head of the US military's joint chiefs of staff and the CIA director.
Critics say the law fails to clarify which aggressive questioning methods are banned and point out that Bush has the final say about which kinds of treatment are allowed.
Rules for the military trials have also been criticized for limiting defendants' rights and allowing coerced testimony.
'The legislation signed by the President today violates basic principles and values of our constitutional system of government,' said Democratic Senator Russ Feingold. 'We will look back on this day as a stain on our nation's history.'
Reports last year that the US intelligence agency has kept and interrogated captured terrorist suspects at secret sites abroad caused an international outcry and investigations in Europe.
On Tuesday, European Parliament members began a three-day mission in Romania to investigate whether the country has hosted clandestine US-run detention centres.
Human rights groups have pointed to allegations that the methods used in the US-declared war on terror include 'waterboarding,' a notorious technique that makes a detainee feel like he is drowning.
Bush says the US does not torture detainees and that information gained in CIA interrogation, including those of captured September 11 suspects, had prevented other attacks.
'The bill I sign today will ensure that we can continue using this vital tool to protect the American people for years to come,' Bush said. 'It's been invaluable for both America and our allies.'
The new law was hotly disputed for months among military lawyers and lawmakers of Bush's own party.
At one point during negotiations over the law, Bush's former secretary of state Colin Powell charged the administration was undermining the 'moral basis' for the war on terrorism.
Three high-profile Republican senators forced the White House to make changes before the upper house gave its final approval last month.
Bush had pressed lawmakers to pass the bill before November 7 Congressional elections, where polls show the Republicans at risk of losing their majority in both houses.
The legislation was prompted by a US Supreme Court ruling in June that the Bush administration's detainee policy violated US law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Bush acknowledged the CIA programme last month when he said that 14 al-Qaeda suspects - including alleged September 11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed - had been moved from CIA detention to the US base at Guantanamo Bay for planned military trials.
Of the roughly 450 Guantanamo detainees, 10 have been charged.
'We will answer brutal murder with patient justice,' Bush said. 'Those who kill the innocent will be held to account.'
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
