thedrifter
01-30-09, 06:17 AM
4-star sees difficulties in closing Gitmo
By David Stringer - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 29, 2009 15:09:48 EST
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — A senior U.S. general who once oversaw the Guantanamo Bay prison camp predicted Thursday that the U.S. will face problems closing it down — something President Barack Obama has ordered be done within a year.
Army Gen. John Craddock, who headed U.S. Southern Command from 2004-2006, said while attending a NATO conference that issues over where to send some of the remaining detainees need to be resolved and that doing so will be difficult.
Concerns have been heightened after a former Saudi detainee released from Guantanamo showed up in a video clip of al-Qaida militants in Yemen.
“I’m always concerned when bad people are released and show up again trying to kill either American or international forces. Obviously as a commander you want to protect the force,” Craddock, now NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, said during an interview.
Former Saudi detainee Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi was seen last week in a newly released militant video.
“In terms of the closing, I have no concerns. I’m sure the modalities of that will be worked out. I think it will be difficult for some nations to receive detainees in their country of origin. That will have to be worked through,” Craddock said.
Obama’s order calls for the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be closed within a year. The camp still houses around 245 detainees, but it is not clear how many will be prosecuted or where many of them will be transferred.
European Union leaders said Monday they would consider taking in some of the prisoners being released, but only after detailed screening to ensure they don’t present a security threat.
The U.S. military says there are 60 Guantanamo inmates who, if freed, cannot be returned to their home countries because they would likely face abuse, imprisonment or death. Those prisoners come from Azerbaijan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Chad, China, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Ellie
By David Stringer - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 29, 2009 15:09:48 EST
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — A senior U.S. general who once oversaw the Guantanamo Bay prison camp predicted Thursday that the U.S. will face problems closing it down — something President Barack Obama has ordered be done within a year.
Army Gen. John Craddock, who headed U.S. Southern Command from 2004-2006, said while attending a NATO conference that issues over where to send some of the remaining detainees need to be resolved and that doing so will be difficult.
Concerns have been heightened after a former Saudi detainee released from Guantanamo showed up in a video clip of al-Qaida militants in Yemen.
“I’m always concerned when bad people are released and show up again trying to kill either American or international forces. Obviously as a commander you want to protect the force,” Craddock, now NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, said during an interview.
Former Saudi detainee Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi was seen last week in a newly released militant video.
“In terms of the closing, I have no concerns. I’m sure the modalities of that will be worked out. I think it will be difficult for some nations to receive detainees in their country of origin. That will have to be worked through,” Craddock said.
Obama’s order calls for the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be closed within a year. The camp still houses around 245 detainees, but it is not clear how many will be prosecuted or where many of them will be transferred.
European Union leaders said Monday they would consider taking in some of the prisoners being released, but only after detailed screening to ensure they don’t present a security threat.
The U.S. military says there are 60 Guantanamo inmates who, if freed, cannot be returned to their home countries because they would likely face abuse, imprisonment or death. Those prisoners come from Azerbaijan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Chad, China, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Ellie