http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_GUANTANAMO?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=INTERNATIONALUNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday said the United States should close the prison at Guantanamo Bay for terror suspects as soon as possible, backing a key conclusion of a U.N.-appointed independent panel.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan rejected the call to shut the camp, saying the military treats all detainees humanely and "these are dangerous terrorists that we're talking about."
The panel's report, released Thursday in Geneva, said the United States must close the detention facility "without further delay" because it is effectively a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice.
Annan told reporters he didn't necessarily agree with everything in the report, but "the basic premise, that we need to be careful to have a balance between effective action against terrorism and individual liberties and civil rights, I think is valid."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_NEXT_SECRETARY_GENERAL?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=INTERNATIONALBolton Launches Talks on Replacing Annan
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.S. ambassador opened Security Council discussions on the next U.N. secretary-general, calling the choice of a replacement for Kofi Annan probably the most important decision the world body will make this year.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, the council's president this month, called a meeting of the five veto-wielding permanent members Thursday "to get a sense of where the council is, so that we can begin to move forward on the issue."
Annan's second five-year term ends on Dec. 31 and his successor must be approved by the General Assembly based on a recommendation from the council.
At the moment, the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain - are divided on when to choose the next U.N. chief and where he or she should come from.