[JURIST] US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [official profile] on Wednesday reaffirmed that the US meets international standards in its treatment of terror suspects, despite rising debate [JURIST report] over the issue. Rice told [transcript of remarks] an American Bar Association international law gathering [Rule of Law symposium] that the US has always respected international legal obligations. President Bush said earlier this week that the US has not tortured [JURIST report] suspected terrorists, and the US Senate has approved a proposed ban on torture and other inhuman treatment of prisoners [JURIST document], though there are doubts the legislation will be signed into law. Beginning Thursday, Rice is traveling in the Middle East, where the US has become increasingly unpopular for its continued detention of Muslims suspected of terrorism at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. The first country the Secretary will visit is Bahrain, where recent headlines proclaimed the release of three men [Gulf News report; JURIST report] held at Guantanamo for nearly four years after they were arrested in Afghanistan. AP has more.