Iraq's ambassador to Russia Tuesday pledged Iraq's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions concerning the treatment of prisoners of war.

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Since then it has helped people blinded in various wars, through treatment as prisoners of war, in the conflict in Northern Ireland, bomb blasts in the UK and abroad and accidents such as car or helicopter crashes.

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The most revolting and murky twist to the story is the treatment of another wave of American captives: prisoners-of-war in Germany who had the misfortune to be freed by Soviet troops and were deported to the Gulag.

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For all that, Russia's conduct of the war, especially in the treatment of prisoners and refugees, has been revolting and counter-productive.

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After April's heavy casualties in Iraq and the emerging scandal of the treatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops, only 44 percent said they believed the war was worthwhile -- another low.

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"I think that the American people realize that I'm very different in many ways, whether it be spending, or the conduct of the war in Iraq, or climate change, or treatment of prisoners, or a number of other issues, " he said.

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For opponents of the war and of the United States around the world, the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib fits into a pattern.

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Also due to its treatment of prisoners held without trial in Cuba and it continued support a leader in Israel who should be prosecuted for war crimes.

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