Washington, January 04: The White House on Sunday ruled out any rethinking over its decision to close down the Guantanamo terrorist detention center, amidst increasing call form the Republicans to do so.
“No, it doesn’t, because that was the result of a very meticulous and rigorous process that we’ve had in place since the beginning of this administration,” John Brennan, the Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, said in an interview.
“Guantanamo has been used as a propaganda tool by al Qaeda and others. We need to close that facility. And we’re determined to do that…The inmates that are there are going to be transferred back.
Those that appropriate to go back, but also those that need to maintain — stay in detention, we are going to do that,” he said.
“Guantanamo facility must be closed. It has served as a propaganda tool for Al Qaida. We’re determined to close it. We’re not going to, though, do anything that is going to put American security at risk,” he told the Fox News in another interview.
Brennan said the Obama Administration would continue to send back the Guantanamo detainees as planned, including those to Yemen.
“We made a decision that we would send back six because we were very pleased with the way of Yemeni government handled the one individual we sent back about eight weeks ago. So we are making sure that the situation on the ground is taken into account,” he said.
–PTI