Blair tells Bush: We don't want Guantanamo Britons

Blair tells Bush: We don't want Guantanamo Britons
By David Bamber and Rajeev Syal
(Filed: 03/08/2003)


The Government has told America that it does not want the Britons held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to be returned for trial in Britain.

Whitehall officials say that the message that Britain does not want its nine detainees returned was conveyed privately to President George W. Bush during the recent visit to Washington by Tony Blair.

The decision comes after advice from government lawyers that it would be very hard to mount a successful prosecution in Britain because of the difficulty in obtaining evidence that is admissible in court. There are also fears that any public trial in Britain would force the disclosure of intelligence operations against al-Qa'eda in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The Government is also concerned that the collapse of a prosecution in Britain would anger the public and be politically damaging.

<snip>

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/03/nguan03.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/08/03/ixnewstop.html

:puke:

out of mind

Didn't I read where the US agreed to send them back a week or so ago? Didn't the Brits demand we do this?

I really think my head is going to explode...I can't keep all this straight.

ya can't come back? This may piss a lot of Brits off.

"difficulty in obtaining evidence that is admissible in court."

I do find it hard to believe that all these men are being held without solid evidence. This is the US of A, for God's sake. We would never do such a thing...land of the free....apple pie....justice....equality...flags....fireworks....founding fathers and blah.....blah....blah. Where have all the flowers gone ????

Just a bit crazy on this Sunday morning. Reading the news will do that to you.

:crazy: