United Nations human rights chief Louise Arbour called on the United States today to abolish secret detention for terrorism suspects after President Bush admitted their existence on Wednesday.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Mr Bush's announcement that 14 CIA detainees were to be transferred to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was "significant".
Although saying the move was insufficient, she welcomed that they could now receive visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and be tried, her spokesman said.
"However, she urges that the programme of secret detention be completely abolished," a spokesman said.
"The High Commissioner recalled that secret and incommunicado detention in themselves infringe international law and can create an environment ripe for other abusive conduct," Mr Diaz said.
Ms Arbour, a former UN war crimes prosecutor and Canadian Supreme Court judge, has previously called for closing secret detention centres as well as Guantanamo Bay.
Although they can received ICRC visits, many Guantanamo detainees have been held without trial for years, and Ms Arbour also cited allegations of abuse there.
The UN official also viewed it as "another important step" that a new US army field manual, also released on Wednesday, contained a more explicit prohibition on torture and ill-treatment, according to the spokesman.
But an alternative "set of procedures" the CIA uses is still secret, so nobody could verify whether they comply with international standards, Mr Diaz said.
Mr Bush this week acknowledged the secret CIA prison programme for the first time, despite previous denials.
In all, about 100 detainees had been held in the programme, which provoked outrage in Europe.
US officials said the programme was not being shut down, although currently no more prisoners were being held in secret.
Among the 14 were the suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed and two other al Qaeda leaders, Ramzi Binalshibh and Abu Zubaydah, the Pentagon said.