Britain's army chief General Michael Jackson on Friday apologized "to those Iraqis who were abused" and to the "people of Iraq as a whole", after three British soldiers were jailed for abusing Iraqi civilians.

Jackson made the public apology at a press conference in London after three British soldiers were sentenced for abusing Iraqi civilians and were dismissed from the Army in disgrace by a military tribunal in Germany.

L/Cpl Mark Cooley, 25, was jailed for the maximum two years over the abuse at Camp Bread Basket, Basra, in May 2003. Cpl Daniel Kenyon, 33, was sentenced to 18 months after being found guilty of three charges of abuse. L/Cpl Darren Larkin, 30, who had admitted assault, was jailed for 140 days by the tribunal in Osnabrueck.

The British general said he had been "appalled and disappointed" by the photos of the abusing incidents, adding that a "senior, experienced officer" will be appointed to assess "what lessons we need to learn" from this case and other abuse allegations.

But he said there were only four cases of alleged abuse against Iraqis and it was important to put them in context of the actions of thousands of British servicemen, stressing he did not believe in the concept of an "endemic rotten apple" in the British Army.

Echoing the shock and apology expressed by the general, British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said he was "profoundly disturbed" by the photos of British troops abusing Iraqi civilians.

"I was profoundly disturbed when I first saw the photographs," Hoon said.

However, the defense secretary said the incidents depicted do not reflect typical behavior standards of the British Army. "The vast majority of service men and women do, however, perform to the very highest of standards. their service in Iraq has been outstanding and we are right to be proud of this," Hoon added.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2005)