Red Cross officials are examining the conditions of al Qaeda suspects held at Camp X-Ray in Cuba

Prisoners shipped from Afghanistan are being held amid widespread concern over their treatment.

Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy told the BBC that while the public had little sympathy with the terror suspects, a row over their treatment at the hands of the US military could damage the international coalition.

"I think there will not be too much spilt tears, as it were, over people who are extremely dangerous and necessary steps that need to be taken to contain them," he said.

"But at the same time what we have got to pay attention to is the simple fact that we are trying also to send a signal in all of this to the wider world. We must not make the mistake after the terrible events of September 11 if you take the old phrase win the war, lose the peace, we do seem to be making progress against the terrorists, but winning the peace is going to be a very long term campaign indeed and that needs to maintain a broad-based global coalition."

During a bruising session of PMQs on Wednesday, Labour MP Kevin McNamara warned Tony Blair that the Western alliance "is in danger of losing the high moral ground because of the treatment and possible mode of trial of those prisoners".

And the issue was raised by concerned MPs during a turbulent meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party

The prime minister replied by asserting that the prisoners "should be treated humanely in accordance with the Geneva conventions and proper international norms".

"I do not think anybody should be in any doubt that the members of the al Qaeda network are highly, highly dangerous people. It would be unsurprising if there were strict measures of security taken with them," Blair said.

Press reports indicate that the UK government is increasingly concerned that any ill treatment of al Qaeda suspects may alienate public opinion and will try to avoid a confrontation over America's backing of the death penalty.

Downing Street had on Wednesday confirmed that British consular officials are seeking access to three British citizens being held in Guantanamo Bay and that the government accepted American reassurances that they were being treated humanly.

With criticism growing over America's handling of prisoners captured in Afghanistan - reports indicate the three men were transported with hoods over their head and are being held in "cages" open to the elements - the Foreign Office is coming under increased pressure to ensure their humane treatment.

Controversially, the US is treating the captives as "unlawful combatants" rather than prisoners of war protected by the Geneva Convention.

Downing Street yesterday added to the confusion by refusing to say whether the fighting in Afghanistan was a war on terrorism. The PM's spokesman described the current situation as a "conflict" being prosecuted under an international UN mandate. It was not a war on the people of Afghanistan.

"The important thing here is how these individuals are being treated," said Number 10 adding their welfare should be compared with the conduct of al Qaeda with their prisoners. Journalists were reminded that the men transported to the base were "some of the most dangerous people in the world".

On interrogation, Number 10 angrily rejected comparisons with the interviewing techniques which had led to the conviction of Stephen Downing which was overturned by the High Court on Tuesday. It was rejected as a "cheap point".

American officials have also rejected criticism of their treatment of captives.

"They are being treated vastly better than they treated anybody else over the last several years and vastly better than was their circumstance when they were found," US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld told the BBC on Wednesday.Number 10 had said on Tuesday that "they are inevitably being treated in a rigorous way to ensure there is no repeat of Mazar-i-Sharif" - referring to the prison uprising in December which led to several days of fierce fighting.

But human rights campaign group Amnesty International urged the US authorities to respect the human rights of those being held.

"The US is placing these people in a legal limbo. They deny that they are prisoners of war, while at the same time failing to provide them with the most basic protections of any person deprived of their liberty," the organisation said.

Expressing concern about the way prisoners were being held and transported, Amnesty added: "Degrading treatment of prisoners is a flagrant violation of international law which cannot be justified under any circumstances."

"The US has obligations under international law to ensure respect for the human rights of all persons in their custody - including the duty to treat them humanely and ensure that they have recourse to fair proceedings, regardless of the nature of the crimes they are suspected of having committed."

The three prisoners who are thought to be British are to receive a visit from UK officials over the next few days. Downing Street confirmed the transport process was on-going and other Britons could be sent to the camp.