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ReutersGuantanamo likely to remain open rest of Bush termFri Mar 23, 2007 2:48PM EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay will likely remain open for the rest of George W. Bush's presidency because it will take time to conduct the legal proceedings of the detainees there, the White House said on Friday.
Bush's term runs out in January 2009. Bush has stated publicly that he would like to see the facility closed, but now it appears unlikely to happen on his watch.
The United States has declared its intention to try 60 to 80 of the 385 foreign captives held at Guantanamo, including 14 "high-value" prisoners sent there in September from secret CIA prisons.
White House spokesman Tony Snow it was "highly unlikely that you can dispense with all those cases" before Bush leaves office.
U.S. authorities sent suspects picked up in the post-September 11 war on terrorism to military custody at Guantanamo, instead of putting them into the normal American court process.
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