Hopes dim for closure of Guantánamo

[maddezmom]

Source: FT

Hopes dim for closure of Guantánamo
By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: December 12 2007 22:43 | Last updated: December 13 2007 03:24

The prospects of closing Guantánamo Bay before the end of the Bush administration are dimming as the Pentagon struggles to find a solution on shutting the controversial prison, according to former and current ­officials.

Robert Gates, the defence secretary, told Congress in September that his push to close Guantánamo had run into “obstacles” from administration lawyers. But he assured senators the Pentagon was drafting a proposal that he hoped the administration would approve and then send to Capitol Hill.

But three months on, the lawyers have made little headway. In addition to facing complex legal issues involved in closing the prison and transferring detainees to the US, they are running into opposition from other parts of the administration, including Dick Cheney, the vice-president.

Asked by the Financial Times whether the Pentagon was making progress, Mr Gates replied that the process was moving, but “slowly”.



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