U.S., Yemen at odds on prisoners
A third of those at Guantanamo are Yemeni. Talks hinge on what will happen if they are returned.
WASHINGTON - The United States and Yemen remain at odds over a proposal to release more than one-third of the detainees from Guantanamo Bay, officials said yesterday, even as the Bush administration wrestles with the future of the military prison.
About 100 of the approximately 270 prisoners remaining at Guantanamo Bay are Yemeni nationals. A U.S. delegation visited the capital city of San'a last week to discuss the possible transfer of a few detainees to Yemen. Yemeni officials hoped to negotiate the release of all but the most dangerous prisoners.
"There is no progress at all," said Waleed Alshahari, an official following the talks for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington. "The situation remains as it is."
The future of Guantanamo Bay has been in doubt since the Supreme Court ruled last month that detainees have the right to challenge their imprisonment in U.S. courts. A deal with Yemen could dramatically shrink the inmate population before the Bush administration is forced to explain to federal judges why the detainees are being held.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. and Yemen had "good discussions, but there's still work to be done." Another U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the private talks, said prospects were slim for an agreement any time soon.
The court process begins today with a hearing in Washington. Under a proposed schedule to be discussed today, judges could begin reviewing evidence against some of the detainees within weeks. If judges decided there were not enough evidence, they could order some detainees released, but it would likely be up to the Bush administration to determine where to send them.
The talks with Yemen hinge on what will happen to the detainees once they are returned. The administration wants to be sure that dangerous prisoners are not freed and that prisoners are held in humane conditions. Yemen proposes charging some in its court system and supervising others in a "rehabilitation program."
U.S. negotiators hoped to agree on a trial program, in which a few Yemeni detainees are repatriated. If successful, it could be expanded over time. But U.S. officials aren't confident Yemen can ensure that detainees are not freed. One U.S. official said it could take up to two years for Yemen to establish the required safeguards.
The State Department yesterday said two detainees were transferred to Algeria Wednesday, and reiterated Bush's desire to close Guantanamo.
