Washington: US President George W Bush today (May 6, 2004) rejected demands in Congress that Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld should be sacked for his failure to prevent atrocities against Iraqi prisoners and said he "will stay".

"Rumsfeld is a really good Secretary of Defence. Secretary Rumsfeld has served our nation well. Secretary Rumsfeld has been Secretary during two wars. He is an important part of my Cabinet and he will stay in my Cabinet," Bush said.

Bush, making a media appearance with the visiting King Abdullah of Jordan, said he was sorry for the humiliations the prisoners and their families suffered but he insisted there are also "thousands of acts of kindness and decency taking place every day in Iraq from the American soldiers.

He repeated his assurance that "we will take a good look at the system and make sure it won't happen again".