Republican Senator John McCain has denounced the use of torture on terrorism suspects during the administration of former president George W. Bush.

"I think the interrogations were in violation of the Geneva Conventions and the convention against torture that we ratified under President Reagan," said McCain.

In an interview with CBS News on Sunday, the Arizona senator said that the enhanced interrogation techniques also helped al Qaeda recruit additional members.

"I think these interrogations, once publicized, helped al Qaeda recruit. I got that from an al Qaeda operative in a prison camp in Iraq,” said McCain, who added that he believed information could have been obtained through other methods.

"And I believe that information, according go the FBI and others, could have been gained through other methods," according to McCain.

His comments came just hours after former Vice President Dick Cheney defended the use of torture during an interview with Fox News.

However, the former presidential candidate disagreed with Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to launch an investigation into the matter.

"But the damage that (the methods) did to America's image in the world is something we're still on the way to repairing," McCain said.

The veteran agreed with President Barack Obama that the country needs to look forward.

"I believe the president was right when he said we ought to go forward and not back," he said.

AGB/TG/DT