WASHINGTON, 14 July 2006 — The White House on Wednesday confirmed that it has rescinded a February 2002 order maintaining that key aspects of the Geneva Conventions do not apply to foreign terror combatants, such as Al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters.

The decision was made to bring US policy in line with last month’s Supreme Court ruling, which found the US administration’s planned use of military tribunals to prosecute “war on terror” suspects at the Guantanamo Naval Base unconstitutional and a violation of the Geneva Convention.

“Obviously, parts of it will no longer apply, in light of our indication that we will comply with the court’s decision,” said Frederick Jones, spokesman with the White House National Security Council, told AFP.

The decision to rescind the order followed the release Tuesday of a Pentagon memo which last week ordered all personnel to comply with the Geneva Convention’s Common Article 3 mandating the humane treatment of prisoners — a policy shift stemming from the June 29 high court decision.

The change is a dramatic policy shift to the administration which until now had maintained that terror combatants were not covered by the conventions because they were not considered prisoners of war.

President Bush has said he wants to close Guantanamo, but only after the risk posed to Americans by potential terror suspects detained there has been removed.