Denmark says its forces in Iraq will no longer hand...

Denmark says its forces in Iraq will no longer hand over prisoners to Iraqi authorities after the interim government reinstated the death penalty.
The Danish defence chief, Soeren Gade, said: "We don't hand over anybody before we are sure that they are not met by the death penalty." Mr Gade made his statement on August 9 during an appearance outside the Pentagon after meeting the US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.
"We are suspending handing over Iraqi prisoners right now," he said. He was speaking one day after Iraq's US-backed government brought back the death penalty for crimes including murder, kidnapping and drug running. Mr Rumsfeld did not comment on the announcement.
All prisoners captured by Danish troops have so far been handed over to British forces, if deemed a security threat to the coalition, or to Iraqi police, if suspected of general crimes. A Danish contingent of 500 soldiers deployed in southern Iraq is serving under British command around Basra and Al Qurna.
According to an informal agreement between the two coalition members, the prisoners handed over by the Danes to the British were not to be consigned to the Iraqi authorities without Danish assent.
"Until that loose agreement becomes more explicit, we're making a suspension so we don't risk ending up having the Iraqi government executing someone who was originally detained by Danish troops," said Defense Ministry spokesman Jakob Winther said.
The Danish Defence Ministry said the country's forces in Iraq, which number about 500, were not holding any Iraqi prisoners. While the new policy might have little immediate impact, it represented an expression of Danish opposition to the death penalty.