BERLIN, Dec 7: Berlin stood firm on Wednesday in an embarrassing diplomatic spat with Washington, insisting the United States had acknowledged a mistake in the case of a German man it held for months as a terrorist suspect in an Afghan jail last year.

The controversy has embroiled several other governments, too. There were angry denials by the Italian prime minister, the French, Polish and Thai foreign ministries that they knew anything about the existence of secret CIA prisons on their soil.

But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier admitted that he was informed last year of the case of Khaled el Masri, the German national who was seized by the CIA in Macedonia and flown to Afghanistan.

“I learned of the case in June 2004 from a lawyer’s letter that was then passed on to us in the chancellery,” Mr Steinmeier said on Tuesday.

Before becoming foreign minister, Mr Steinmeier was chief of staff to then Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Defending comments made by the German chancellor at a press conference with US secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday, the German government said it backed comments by Angela Merkel that Washington had admitted an error in the case of Khaled el Masri.

US officials said Ms Rice had made no such admission and suggested the German chancellor was mistaken. One told reporters: “We are not quite sure what was in her head.”

But government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm told a news conference: “The comments, as they were made yesterday, are valid.”

The disagreement soured Ms Merkel’s first foray into transatlantic diplomacy since taking office two weeks ago and marred what had been seen as a bridge-building visit by Ms Rice.

Ms Merkel had hoped to open a new chapter in relations with the administration of US President George Bush, which has not forgiven her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, for his outspoken opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

Ms Rice repeatedly declined to discuss the Masri case on Tuesday, although she conceded that Washington may sometimes make mistakes and would quickly correct them if they happened.—Reuters