http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5169600.stm

Quote Originally Posted by BBC News
All US military detainees, including those at Guantanamo Bay, are to be treated in line with the minimum standards of the Geneva Conventions.

The White House announced the shift in policy almost two weeks after the US Supreme Court ruled that the conventions applied to detainees.

The new Pentagon policy applies only to detainees being held by the military, and not to those in CIA custody, such as alleged mastermind of the 11 September attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Too little, too late obviously, but is it a major development or not? Will this just mean that suspected major terrorists will simply be held by the CIA instead of the US military?

Among the plethora of issues it raises are:

Firstly, if the Taleban and Al Qaeda never surrender, does that mean the US is entitled to hold detainees until they die of old age?

Secondly, if a detainee denies that they are a member of the Taleban and Al Qaeda, doesn't that mean that they are not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Convention and can be held by the US, as long as the Government of Afghanistan permits the US to seize and detain them. Can they be tried for criminal offences, such as treason or murder, if they deny they are Taleban or Al Qaeda?