U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it is too early to decide which Afghan prisoners from the anti-terrorism war will be tried in the proposed military tribunals.

Mr. Rumsfeld was commenting on wire agency reports which said none of the 500 prisoners had been found to meet requirements for the tribunals.

The defense secretary told reporters in Washington Tuesday that interrogations of the prisoners have so far focused on gathering intelligence about terrorist networks and possible future attacks. The next phase, he said, will focus on law enforcement and building cases against those in custody.

The prisoners were captured in the war against Afghanistan's ousted Taleban and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network. The majority of the detainees are being held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In the meantime, the Pentagon has been working on writing rules under which the tribunals could operate. President Bush in early November approved the use of special military tribunals that could put accused terrorists on trial faster and in greater secrecy than an ordinary criminal court. The Pentagon says it will be up to Mr. Bush to decide who goes to the tribunal.

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