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US Nears Deal to Send Guantanamo Detainees Home

smh.com.au

US nears deal to send Guantanamo detainees home
By Robin Wright and Josh White in Washington
August 10, 2005


The United States is nearing agreement with 10 Muslim governments to return their citizens held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in an effort to quicken the pace of transfers and increase the role of countries whose nationals are alleged terrorists.

Washington hoped to conclude the agreements within the next two months, a senior State Department official said.

The US is also trying to persuade a European country to accept at least 15 Chinese Uigurs - a Muslim ethnic group with a large population in western China - and two Uzbeks ready to be released, but who will not be returned to their home countries for fear they might be abused or tortured, the official said. Sweden turned down a request last year, a Swedish envoy said on Monday.

The agreements with the 10 countries are in addition to negotiations with Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, which have the largest number of prisoners held at the Cuban prison.

The US completed the first such agreement last week with Afghanistan, which has 110 prisoners in US custody. The US also hopes to reach an agreement soon with Saudi Arabia involving 129 prisoners. Talks were suspended when King Fahd died last week.

The 10 other countries include Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait and Morocco. At least 19 men from these countries are ready to be transferred, the State Department said.

The US hopes the first round of negotiations will encourage other countries to complete agreements as happened last year with prisoners from European countries, Pierre Prosper, the US ambassador at large for war crimes, said on Monday.

Washington wants to be consulted if governments decide to release any returned detainees.

"We won't have veto power, but we do want to have input," Mr Prosper said.

The transfers hinge in part on two guarantees — humane treatment of detainees and security so they cannot escape.

The US expects to reduce the prison population from about 510 to about 100 prisoners considered to be a security risk. They would be held indefinitely, or until the "end of hostilities" in the global struggle against terrorism, a US official said.

Washington has been strongly criticised by human rights groups and other countries about the the detentions at Guantanamo Bay.

They say the US Government has not afforded adequate due process to suspected terrorists and has engaged in inhumane tactics to gain information from prisoners - allegations the Defence Department disputes.

The Washington Post

posted by Annamarie at 3:44 PM