BAGHDAD, Iraq - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that Iraq's future would depend on its enforcing the rule of law, but only its people and political leaders could decide what type of law that would be.

US Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales seen here 14 August, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, met Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh and discussed the tactics used by Iraqi security forces to combat a wave of violence, including torture. [AFP]

Gonzales said after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh that they had discussed the use of "extraordinary measures," referring to policies toward prisoners and detainees. He added that the U.S. would not tell Iraq how to handle the issue.

"It is difficult to decide what is appropriate now and what is allowed under the law. This decision will be made by the Iraqi government," Gonzales said. He did not offer specifics or elaborate.

Gonzales is an architect of U.S. policy on the treatment of prisoners abroad and the author of a 2002 memo saying President Bush had the right to waive laws and treaties that protect prisoners of war. He has come under criticism for his position but has denied allegations that it helped lead to abuses in Iraq.

He bristled at reporters' suggestions that American policies might be viewed as condoning torture.

"This president has been very clear. This government has not engaged in torture," Gonzales said.

Gonzales made the comments after a tour of the building where Saddam Hussein has been put on trial in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the center of Baghdad. Gonzales is on a one-day visit.

The attorney general said Washington is committed to helping build an Iraqi court system, pointing to $100 million that he said Congress has appropriated for the project.

The dreams of the Iraqi people, "can only be realized if there is a rule of law in their country and greater security," Gonzales said.

Asked about the conduct of U.S. troops in Iraq, he said the vast majority "meet the highest ethical standard" and those who did not would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

One case that has inflamed tempers in Iraq involves a 14-year-old Iraqi girl who was raped and murdered in Mahmoudiya, a town 20 miles south of Baghdad. Her 5-year-old sister and parents also were murdered. U.S. authorities arrested five soldiers and a former private in connection with the case. The active-duty soldiers faced a military hearing earlier this month to determine if they should be court-martialed. A decision is pending.

In another case, U.S. Marines are accused of killing 24 civilians, including women and children in November in the city of Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Saleh said after his meeting that he and Gonzales discussed the issue of including Iraqi judges in investigations of alleged atrocities by U.S. soldiers against Iraqis.

"The Iraqi side stresses the importance of participating in the investigation, that the investigation is transparent, that the Iraqi public opinion knows its developments, and that those found guilty are severely punished," Saleh said.