Guantanamo "professional and humane"

"I know of no one in the US government in the executive branch that is considering closing Guantanamo. It is unfortunately something that is necessary in the world we're living in," Rumsfeld told reporters.

"It's something the folks in charge of it are doing in a very professional and humane way," he added.

Asked about Norwegian media reports that US aircrafts ferrying detainees to other countries had made stopovers in Norway, Rumsfeld said he had no such knowledge.

"Everything I know is that there isn't an ounce of connection between those aircraft and the department of defence to my knowledge," he said.

Media outlets worldwide have reported that the US Central Intelligence Agency has spirited terror suspects out of their country of residence to states suspected of using torture, despite laws that ban the expulsion or extradition of individuals to countries where torture occurs.

While Rumsfeld insisted that the US Department of Defence had no knowledge of such so-called renditions, he said that "obviously you don't know what you don't know".

Rumsfeld made the comments at a press conference with Norwegian Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold where they signed a memorandum of understanding on continued prepositioning of US military supplies in NATO member Norway.