War on Terror

Closing Gitmo Hits New Hitch

Obama’s plan to shut terrorist prison falters.

Obama’s promise to close the terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Bay may take a long time to fulfill. The British government floated an idea to ease America’s embarrassment by taking some of the 60 inmates who cannot return to their own country for fear of torture or execution. But that generous idea has immediately run into trouble from Gordon Brown’s Conservative opponents, who see political capital to be made out of Obama’s discomfort. "The Foreign Secretary must explain urgently … how many Guantanamo inmates would be admitted to Britain, by what criteria they would be selected, and what assurances would be given about their behavior in the future," demanded top Tory William Hague. The British Foreign Office quickly backtracked, declaring that no deal had yet been struck on accepting non-British Gitmo prisoners.