White House in 'final stages' of plan to close Guantanamo prison

http://www.france24.com/en/20150722-white-house-final-stages-plan-close-guantanamo-prison



The White House is in the "final stages" of a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday.

White House in 'final stages' of plan to close Guantanamo prison
Latest update : 2015-07-22

President Barack Obama made the closure of the controversial offshore prison a priority when he took office in 2009, but the plan has faced numerous setbacks, including Congress blocking the transfer of detainees to US prisons.

"The administration is in fact in the final stages of drafting a plan to safely and responsibly (close) the prison at Guantanamo Bay and to present that to Congress," Earnest said.

"That has been something that our national security officials have been working on for quite some time, primarily because it is a priority of the president."

The operation of the center in Cuba is not an effective use of government resources, Earnest told reporters.