Bush concedes Guantanamo 'should end'
Bush concedes Guantanamo 'should end'
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Wednesday, 21, Jun 2006 03:54
George Bush, the US president, has admitted publicly for the first time that the controversial detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be closed.
Mr Bush was speaking at a one-day summit with EU leaders in Vienna, where he responded to claims that the detention centre that is holding about 460 people - most without trial - was hurting the US' global reputation.
Last week three inmates committed suicide and it later transpired that two of the men had shortly been due to be returned to their home countries, leading to further criticism from sources within the EU.
But the president said today: "I understand their concerns. I'd like to end Guantanamo. I'd like it to be over with."
He did however add that many of the inmates "need to be tried in US courts" as there are detainees there that are "cold-blooded killers".
"They will murder somebody if they are left out on the street," Mr Bush claimed.
Also on the agenda today on the summit with the president of the European Council, Wolfgang Schuessel, who is also the Austrian chancellor, and Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, was the continuing struggle in Iraq, preventing the financing of terrorism, global energy supplies and world trade.
The leaders also discussed Iran's refusal to half its uranium-enrichment activities, with Mr Bush reiterating the US' stance that they will only resume diplomatic relations when Teheran "verifiably suspend" activities.
The US president also warned North Korea about the repercussions it could face if it goes ahead with missile tests.
"It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes who have announced they have nuclear warheads, fire missiles. This is not the way you conduct business in the world," he said.