New State Dept. Envoy Begins Work Of Closing Guantánamo

The new State Department special envoy for closing the United States military's detention center located at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba began the effort to shut down the polarizing prison camp, McClatchy reported Thursday.

Clifford Sloan, a former publisher of Slate magazine and a Washington attorney who’s worked in all three branches of government, embarked on a one-day tour of the prison facility, where he had discussions with military and medical personnel.

In a major national security speech in May, President Barack Obama vowed to close Gitmo, which he said has "become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law." Obama has drawn criticism, mostly from the left, for failing to close the detention center during his first term in office, despite his 2008 campaign pledge to do so.

“President Obama has been very clear as he laid out the goal,and the objective is to close Guantánamo," Sloan told McClatchy. “Our marching orders are clear.”

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