GENEVA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Committee Against Torture on Friday urged the United States to close its detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and stop all use of torture on terror suspects.

    The United States "should cease to detain any person at Guantanamo Bay and close this detention facility, permit access bythe detainees to judicial process or release them as soon as possible," the UN Geneva-based Committee Against Torture said in an 11-page report.

    The panel of 10 independent experts also expressed concern about allegations that Washington had established secret prisons, where the International Committee of the Red Cross was not allowedto visit.

    The United States "should ensure that no-one is detained in anysecret detention facility under its de facto effective control," the report said.

    It "should investigate and disclose the existence of any such facilities and the authority under which they have been established and the manner in which detainees are treated," it added.

    The report is based on conclusions from hearings this month in Geneva, which were attended by a U.S. delegation.

    It also urged Washington to halt all forms of torture committedby its personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq and investigate allegations thoroughly, prosecuting any staff found guilty.

    "The state party should take immediate measures to eradicate all forms of torture and ill-treatment of detainees by its military or civilian personnel, in any territory under its jurisdiction," the report said.

    The committee, which monitors compliance with the UN's Convention Against Torture, also said it "regrets" the U.S. decision that the convention didn't apply to its campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    The U.S. Defense Department argues that prisoners at the Guantanamo naval base are "enemy combatants", who are not subject to the UN's human rights mandate, and are being held to prevent further terrorist attacks.

    The UN panel said it did recognize that the U.S. "war on terror", which followed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was aimed at "protecting its security and the security and freedom of its citizens in a complex legal and political context."

    But the United States "should recognize and ensure that the convention applies at all times, whether in peace, war, or armed conflict, and in any territory under its jurisdiction," it said.

    There are now about 500 detainees at Guantanamo, some of whom were captured when the U.S. forces ousted Afghanistan's Taliban regime following the 2001 attacks.

    The United States made its first appearance in six years beforethe UN panel earlier this month, addressing a series of issues ranging from Washington's interpretation of the absolute ban on torture to its interrogation methods in prisons such as Abu Ghraib,Iraq, and Guantanamo.

    The panel's criticism carries no penalties beyond internationalscrutiny, but human rights observers say it could influence U.S. public opinion and hence the U.S. government. Enditem