Obama Unable to Meet His Pledge to Close Gitmo

One of President Obama’s first acts as president was to sign an executive order to close Guantanamo within a year, a move he said would restore his country’s “moral high ground.”

The Bush administration used the Gitmo facility to hold suspected terrorists following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Critics opposed to President Bush expressed outrage over the tough interrogation techniques used on some of the detainees, saying it amounts to torture.

Critics also complained that prisoners were held for years without charges or trials.

Obama and his administration quickly found it difficult to find countries willing to take in the more than 200 detainees.

The U.S. Senate in May voted 90-6 against allowing funds requested to shut down the facility or use the funds to transfer prisoners to U.S. soil.

In a series of TV interviews during his trip to Asia, President Obama has acknowledged that he will not be able to meet his pledge to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by January.

In an interview in Beijing with Fox News, Obama said he knew closing down the prison at Guantanamo Bay was going to be difficult.

“It’s hard not only because of the politics. People I think understandably are fearful after a lot of years where they were told that Guantanamo was critical to keeping terrorists out. So, I understood that that had to be processed, but it’s also just technically hard — I just think as usual in Washington things move slower than I anticipated.”

Obama also said: “We are on a path and a process where I would anticipate that Guantanamo will be closed next year.” He continued: “I’m not going to set an exact date because a lot of this is also going to depend upon co-operation from Congress.”

In a separate interview, Obama defended the decision to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other detainees at Guantanamo Bay to trial in New York.

Obama voiced support for the decision to try the self-professed Sept. 11 mastermind in a U.S. civilian court, predicting his conviction and subsequent execution.

Obama said Americans should have no concern about the capability of civilian courts to try suspected terrorists.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder last week announced the decision to bring Mohammed and four others detained at Guantanamo Bay to trial at a lower Manhattan courthouse.

Critics of the Obama-Holder’s decision have argued the trial will give Khalid Sheikh Mohammed a world stage to spout hateful rhetoric.

The committee’s top Republican, Jeff Sessions, criticized the decision, saying it treats Mohammed like a common criminal.

The Americano / Agencies

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