ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice won't say if there are secret CIA prisons in Europe, but she does insist that prisoners aren't tortured.

Before heading to Europe today, Rice said the U.S. “will use every lawful weapon'' against militants. And she said CIA interrogators have gained important information that has saved lives in Europe.

European leaders are increasingly demanding answers about reports of CIA prisons in Europe.

Rice declares the U.S. “has not transported detainees from one country to another for the purpose of interrogation using torture.''

The European Union has asked the Bush administration about reports of the prisons.

Human rights organizations and legal groups in the U.S. and abroad accuse the U.S. of allowing a practice in which suspects are taken to countries where harsh interrogation methods are used.