WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The US government on Tuesday refused again a demand from UN human rights monitors for unconditional inspection of its military prison at Guantanamo, Cuba.

    Washington was open to international inspectors but it would not agree to the UN request for free access to detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay base, US State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.

    The United States had provided regular access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and had consulted with governments following the cases of their nationals detained at the base, said Ereli, describing Washington's approach as "sufficient."

    "There are procedures that we follow with regard to access to Guantanamo and access to detainees. And that follows guidelines set up by international convention. And we think that those guidelines are appropriate," he said.

    UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak warned Washington earlier on Tuesday that UN inspectors would not visit the base in December as scheduled unless Washington agreed to unrestricted access without conditions.

    The UN team is due to visit the base on Dec. 6 to investigate allegations of torture and plans to prepare a report on the camp by the end of December.

    On Nov. 1, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the United States would bar UN representatives from accessing detainees at Guantanamo, stressing that denying UN officials full access to Guantanamo is a US government policy.

    The US government has been sharply criticized for conditions at Guantanamo, where about 500 detainees are held without trial and some have gone on hunger strikes. Most of those held at the Guantanamo prison were captured after a US-led offensive toppled the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001. Enditem