Guantanamo prison not likely to close in January, officials say
The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo in Cuba is unlikely to close by the Obama administration's deadline of January 2010, two senior administration officials said late Friday.
U.S. military personnel walk a road at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in July.
They cited legal complications for the delay, but said they were still optimistic about shutting the facility soon.
The announcement represents a blow to the president, who signed an executive order and set the deadline with great fanfare in January during his first week in office.
The delay may provide fodder for Republicans such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has argued that shutting the Guantanamo prison would make the United States less safe. He said Obama should have had a detailed plan in place before signing the order.
"Even White House officials are now acknowledging that there is still no alternative that will keep Americans as safe as housing detainees at that secure facility off our shores," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in a written statement.
"Americans and a bipartisan majority in Congress will continue to reject any effort to close Guantanamo until there is a plan that keeps Americans as safe or safer than keeping detainees in the secure detention center," McConnell's statement said.
The senior administration officials insisted the White House is making progress in finding third-party countries to accept the remaining detainees.
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