Obama Administration to Miss Deadline for Guantanamo Bay Reviews

By VOA News 21 July 2009

In pool photo, reviewed by US military, Guantanamo detainee speaks with guards, inside Camp 6 detention facility, 31 May 2009

Officials with the Obama administration say they will miss a self-imposed deadline for completing a detailed plan on dealing with terrorist suspects detained at a military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The officials said the deadline for the report by a Justice Department-led task force, set for Tuesday, has been extended for another six months. The panel has instead issued a short interim report summarizing how they would prosecute the 229 detainees still held at the facility.


A separate task force created to examine interrogation policy has been given a two-month extension to submit its report.

President Barack Obama created the task forces shortly after taking office in January, when he ordered the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay by next January. The officials insist the administration will meet that deadline, despite the delay in the reports.

Mr. Obama has vowed to close the facility, which has been denounced by human rights groups over allegations of harsh treatment of the detainees.

But the president has been hampered in his goal to shut down Guantanamo by congressional lawmakers opposed to transferring the detainees to U.S. soil for trial.

More than 50 detainees have been approved for transfer to other countries.

The interim memo submitted by the task force dealing with detention policy calls for prosecuting the detainees either in civilian courts or military commissions. The memo says the prosecutions must occur as soon as possible, but insists the accused be given "a full and fair opportunity to contest the charges against them."