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US Attorney General Eric Holder said that it would be tough to
meet the fast-approaching January deadline to close the US military
prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that houses terrorism
suspects.
President Barack Obama ordered the controversial detention camp
closed on his second day in office and gave administration
officials a year to do it, but they have since run into numerous
legal, political and diplomatic hurdles.
"It's going to be difficult for us to make the January 22
deadline," Holder told reporters, quickly adding that they would
still try to meet the goal.
There are 223 detainees still at the prison opened after the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States to house terrorism
suspects.
It has been criticized around the globe because of harsh
interrogations conducted there and some say militant groups like al
Qaeda use it as a rallying cry.
Holder and other administration officials have stressed that
ultimately the prison would be closed despite opposition by some
Republicans who contend that the facility is already set up to put
detainees on trial and imprison them.
"I think that at the end Guantanamo will be closed and I think that
is an appropriate thing to do given the fact that it has served and
continues to serve as a recruiting tool for those who intend to do
this nation harm," Holder said.
Many of the detainees have been cleared of wrongdoing and will be
transferred to other countries willing to take them.
Holder said prosecutors in up to five different offices were
evaluating whether to try the others in US criminal courts.
Some could instead be tried in military tribunals.
Holder also confirmed that the administration was close to
selecting a site to house the detainees on US soil and acknowledged
that he and other administration officials needed to do more to
convince Congress to fund that effort.
On several occasions, both Republicans and Obama's fellow Democrats
in the US Congress have blocked funding the administration's
efforts to close the Guantanamo prison, demanding that a detailed
plan first be shared with lawmakers.
Republicans argue against closing the prison
And some Republicans have argued against closing the prison because
there could be security risks by housing the terrorism suspects in
US prisons, an argument that Holder rejected.
He said he needs to talk to members of Congress about their
concerns.
"I've had conversations with people on the Hill and I'm sure
I'll continue to do that," he said.
Separately, Holder said that an investigation into the Central
Intelligence Agency's destruction in 2005 of videos of
interrogations of terrorism suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim
al-Nashiri was nearing an end.
And he also defended his decision to have the prosecutor looking
into that case also examine whether CIA officers or contractors
should be charged for harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects
that went beyond approved guidelines.
Holder was criticized by seven former CIA directors for reopening
the investigation, arguing that it would hamper intelligence
operations.
"I do not think that it will have a negative impact on the
performance of their duties," Holder said.
