US military chief favors closing Guantanamo
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (AFP) — The US military chief said Sunday that "war on terror" detention center here should be shut down because of the damage its done to the US image in the world, but there are no plans to do so.
Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said no decisions have been made to close the facility and he was not aware it was even being considered because of the complex legal issues involved.
"We certainly look at this mission as an enduring mission until someone comes in and shuts it down," he said. "I have no idea how long it will be. The political leadership would have to make that decision."
He made the comments to wire service reporters after a day of inspecting cell blocks and a maximum security court house being built for military trials of so called "high value" detainees.
The new court house and a sprawling complex of trailers for lawyers and tents for media are scheduled to be completed by March 1, clearing the way for the first trials since the United States began airlifting prisoners here from Afghanistan on January 11, 2002.
"This is where the 9/11 people, when they are finally charged, will be tried," an officer said as he showed Mullen the unfinished court room, pointing out a glassed-in, sound proof gallery where reporters would be able to watch but not hear when classified evidence is introduced.
Only four detainees have been formally charged, but Commander Richard Haupt, a military spokesman at Guantanamo, said more detainees will be charged in the coming months.
A fifth, Australian David Hicks, was released recently after serving out a nine month prison term in Australia as part of a plea agreement.
Currently, the number of detainees at Guantanamo have dwindled to a low of 277 from a high of around 600 due to transfers and releases.
"The world is focused on what's going on here at Gitmo," Mullen told service members at an "all hands" meeting. "That's why we've got to get it right every single day, every single hour, every single minute," he said.
"The consequences of getting it wrong are global," he added.
Asked whether the military is moving to slow close down Guantanamo, Mullen said he was "not aware that at this point there is anyone considering that."
"I am on record as saying we should do that," he added. "Secretary Gates is on record as saying we should do that. Even President Bush is on record as saying we should do that. But there has been no decisions made."
Mullen was asked later in the interview with traveling with him why he thought it should be closed down.
"More than anything else, I just think its been the images -- what Gitmo has become around the world in terms of representing the United States. I believe from the standpoint on how it reflects on us, it has been pretty damaging," he said.
"On the other hand there are some really, really bad people here who have perpetrated extraordinary crimes, for which -- potentially certainly -- they will go through some kind of due process, due legal process," he said.
