Jan 13, 2008 5:00 pm US/Central
Joint Chiefs Chairman: Close Guantanamo
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) ―
The chief of the U.S. military said Sunday he favors closing the
prison at Guantanamo Bay as soon as possible because he believes negative publicity
worldwide about treatment of terrorist suspects has been "pretty
damaging" to the image of the United States.
"I'd like to see it shut down," Adm. Mike Mullen said in an
interview with three reporters who toured the detention center with him
on his first visit since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
last October.
His visit came two days after the sixth anniversary of the prison's
opening in January 2002. He stressed that a closure decision was not
his to make and that he understands there are numerous complex legal
questions the administration believes would have to be settled first,
such as where to move prisoners.
The admiral also noted that some of Guantanamo Bay's prisoners are
deemed high security threats. During a tour of Camp Six, which is a
high-security facility holding about 100 prisoners, Mullen got a
firsthand look at some of the cells; one prisoner glared at Mullen
through his narrow cell window as U.S. officers explained to the Joint
Chiefs chairman how they maintain almost-constant watch over each
prisoner.
Mullen, whose previous visit was in December 2005 as head of the
U.S. Navy, noted that President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates
also have spoken publicly in favor of closing the prison. But Mullen
said he is unaware of any active discussion in the administration about
how to do it.
"I'm not aware that there is any immediate consideration to closing Guantanamo Bay," Mullen said.
Asked why he thinks Guantanamo Bay, commonly dubbed Gitmo, should be
closed, and the prisoners perhaps moved to U.S. soil, Mullen said,
"More than anything else it's been the image — how Gitmo has become
around the world, in terms of representing the United States."
Critics have charged that detainees have been mistreated in some
cases and that the legal conditions of their detentions are not
consistent with the rule of law.
"I believe that from the standpoint of how it reflects on us that
it's been pretty damaging," Mullen said, speaking in a small boat that
ferried him to and from the detention facilities across a glistening
bay.
He said he was encouraged to hear from U.S. officers here that the
prison population has shrunk by about 100 over the past year, to 277.
At one time the population exceeded 600. Hundreds have been returned to
their home countries but U.S. officials say some are such serious
security threats that they cannot be released for the foreseeable
future. Only four are currently facing military trials after being
formally charged with crimes.
Mullen's predecessor, retired Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, is a
defendant in a lawsuit by four British men who allege they were
systematically tortured throughout their two years of detention at this
remote outpost. On Friday a federal appeals court in Washington ruled
against the four men.
It was six years ago that Guantanamo Bay received its first
prisoners, suspected terrorists picked up on the battlefields of
Afghanistan as the Taliban government was being ousted from power.
The facility is on land leased from the Cuban government under terms
of a long-term deal that predates the rule of President Fidel Castro.
It is commanded by Navy Rear Adm. Mark Buzby.
Gates, at a Dec. 21 news conference at the Pentagon, noted the administration's failure to settle the closure debate.
"I think that the principal obstacle has been resolving a lot of the
legal issues associated with closing Guantanamo and what you do with
the prisoners when they come back (to the United States)," Gates said.
"Because of some of these legal concerns — some of which are shared
by people in both parties on Capitol Hill — there has not been much
progress in this respect," he added.
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush
administration considered Guantanamo Bay a suitable place to hold men
suspected of links to the Taliban and al Qaeda, contending that U.S.
laws do not apply there because Guantanamo is not part of the United
States. Lawyers for the detainees have challenged that interpretation
ever since.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
