Guantanamo shutdown may not happen on time
Planned January deadline threatened by legal, logistical questions

By The Associated Press Comments 1
Published: September 26, 2009

WASHINGTON — The White House acknowledged for the first time Friday that it might not be able to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay by January as President Barack Obama has promised.

More Info

background

About the prison

The prison in Cuba was created by former President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as a landing spot for suspected al-Qaida, Taliban and foreign fighters captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere. There are approximately 225 detainees still being held at the prison. A major complaint surfaced immediately — that the Bush administration had not established a consolidated repository of intelligence and evidence on each prisoner.

Senior administration officials told The Associated Press that difficulties in completing the lengthy review of detainee files and resolving thorny legal and logistical questions mean the president’s self-imposed January deadline may slip. Obama remains committed to closing the facility, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Obama promised soon after taking office — and many times since — to close the prison, arguing that doing so is crucial to restoring America’s image in the world and to creating a more effective anti-terror approach.

But eight months after Obama’s pledge and with only four months to go before the January deadline, a number of difficult issues remain unresolved. They include establishment of a new set of rules for military trials, finding a location for a new prison to house detainees and finding host countries for those who can be released.

After Obama’s promise, administration officials and lawyers began reviewing files on each detainee. At issue: which can be tried, and whether to do so in military or civilian courts; which can be released to other nations; and which are too dangerous or their cases too compromised by lack of evidence that they must be held indefinitely.