US general regrets gay comments

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The top military commander in the US has expressed regret after describing homosexual acts as "immoral".

Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not apologise for the remarks but said they were purely his personal opinion.

He was commenting on the army's policy that allows gay people to serve if they do not declare their sexuality or engage in homosexual acts.

The remarks caused outrage among US gay rights groups and senior politicians.

The row has reopened debate over whether gay people should be allowed to serve openly in the US military, the BBC's James Westhead in Washington says.

Defusing criticism

Under the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, introduced in 1993 to relax a complete ban on gay people, commanders are not allowed to ask about the sexual orientation of their personnel.

Gen Pace is America's highest ranking military officer

Soldiers, sailors and air force staff are not supposed to reveal their homosexuality, and are banned from engaging in homosexual acts.

"I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Gen Pace told the Chicago Tribune newspaper on Tuesday.

"As an individual, I would not want [acceptance of gay behaviour] to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behaviour," he said.

After the controversy broke out, Gen Pace issued a statement seeking to defuse criticism.

He did not apologise but said he "should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views".

'Slap in the face'

Asked about his own view on the policy, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said: "Personal opinion really doesn't have a place here".

"What's important is that we have a law, a statute that governs 'don't ask, don't tell', that's the policy of this department," he said.

A gay rights group called Gen Pace's comments "a slap in the face to gay men and women serving with honour and bravery".

Joe Solomonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, said: "What is immoral is to weaken our national security because of personal prejudices."

Critics of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy say it is discriminatory and also counterproductive - as it may undermine recruitment with the US military struggling to maintain forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A 2005 government audit said 10,000 troops, including more than 50 specialists in Arabic, had been discharged because of the policy.