WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US administration has made little progress towards its avowed goal of closing the controversial Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention center for terror suspects, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.
Gates told a year-end Pentagon news conference that the government had run up against various legal issues in closing down the facility, as well as the question of what to do with the prisoners once freed.
"I would say that the honest answer is that because of some of these legal concerns -- some of which are shared by ... both parties on Capitol Hill (Congress) -- there has not been much progress," he said.
Washington had repeatedly stated its desire to close down Guantanamo, which was opened for suspects arrested in the US war on terror launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
President George W. Bush said in August that the task was not that easy and some countries were reluctant to take back prisoners because "a lot of people don't want killers in their midst."
The facility, which still houses some 300 suspects, has drawn criticism from around the world for allegedly depriving inmates of their civil rights and subjecting them to harsh interrogation techniques.
The US Supreme Court began this month to consider the right of Guantanamo prisoners to challenge their detention in civilian courts, in a landmark case over war-on-terror detainee rights.
Asked about the chances for closing Guantanamo by the end of 2008, Gates showed little sign of optimism, saying various parts of the government were struggling with the question.
"I think that the principal obstacle has been resolving a lot of the legal issues associated with closing down Guantanamo Bay and what you do with the prisoners when they come back," he said.
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