Colombia confirms U.S. request to take in Guantanamo prisoners

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Xinhua

Colombia confirms U.S. request to take in Guantanamo prisoners
Mar 28,2014

BOGOTA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. Government has asked Colombia to receive some detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Colombia's El Tiempo daily network reported.

According to Holguin, Colombia has not yet given a response to the request because it has not analyzed the implications of such a decision. U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged to close the detention centre, located in Cuba, and free the 154 remaining prisoners.

"We have heard carefully the request from the U.S., we have not advanced absolutely anything with them on this issue... we have not responded on this issue," Minister Holguin said.

The official added that Colombia fully understands the need for Guantanamo Bay detainees to continue with their lives and welcomes the U.S. approach.


Read more: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=209237

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. to take them as prisoners???

or to let them live there freely?

[yeoman6987]

2. I am sure as prisoners

I don't think the US will agree to release them to another country and let free. I don't agree but that is the result.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Poor bastards.

A shameful shameful episode in our already clouded recent history.

Obama can say he has technically clsoed Gitmo, but thowing these guys into a black hole soemwhere else is not what we thought should happen.

[yeoman6987]

4. I agree

I am sure that President Obama also worries that if even one of them causes harm to someone else, he would be remembered for that forever. I am not saying it is right to keep them from freedom especially without a trial but just saying I am sure that he is being cautious with that possibility of something bad happening. His advisors are whispering that in his ear for sure.

[MADem]

6. See post five--they will be refugees, not prisoners. nt

[MADem]

5. No--maybe not. It's a Chinese paper, and the thing is painfully worded...

but that word "resettlement" is in there. Some of the people in Gitmo are apparently afraid to go home because they feel their lives may be in danger.

Since taking office, Obama has taken steps such as resettling detainees to reduce the number of prisoners to 154.

And Uruguay talks about "hosting."

I think the idea is to take them on as refugees, basically. They don't go back to their old homes, but they aren't held in jail.

This article supports what I'm supposing, here:

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/28/colombia-may-take-guantanamo-detainees

US politicians do not want the inmates on American soil and the US government has struggled to find countries to take in detainees, many of whom fear reprisal if they go home to their native countries.

Recently, however, US authorities have stepped up transfers of prisoners deemed no longer a threat, sending them to their homeland or to third countries.

Some 154 inmates remain at the prison, which was erected after the September 11, 2001 attacks to house suspects captured by US forces and spies in anti-terror operations around the world.

Colombia has strong ties with the United States. These were consolidated 15 years ago with the signing of an accord to fight drug trafficking jointly.