Gordon Brown's government seeks return of 5 UK residents from Guantanamo Bay
 The new government of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is requesting the return of five detainees who qualify as United Kingdom residents from the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
"The Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary have decided to request the release from Guantanamo Bay and return to the UK of five men who, whilst not UK Nationals, were legally resident here prior to their detention," said a press release at the UK's Foreign Office.
It added, "They have decided to request the release and return of the five detainees who have links to the UK as former residents, having been granted refugee status, indefinite leave or exceptional leave to remain prior to their detention: Mr Shaker Aamer, Mr Jamil El Banna, Mr Omar Deghayes, Mr Binyam Mohamed and Mr Abdennour Sameur."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the recipient of the British letter. RAW STORY was still awaiting comment from the State Department on how she will respond to the request.
On a nightly BBC news program, security correspondent Gordon Correra suggested that the return of the five men would require careful negotiations, although the US government had expressed a general willingness to release the men.
"The US has actually been saying for some time, it was willing to let these men go, but subject to security conditions and negotiations," the BBC reporter noted.
The British Foreign Office appeared to acknowledge this fact in its statement.
"Discussions with the US Government about the release and return of these five men may take some time," the release noted. "Should these men be returned to the UK, the same security considerations and actions will apply to them as would apply to any other foreign national in this country."
Some reports have painted by the move of the Brown government as a significant policy break from previous Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"The new call contrasts with former Prime Minister Tony Blair's refusal for years to intervene in most Guantanamo cases," the AP's David Stringer noted. "His government...refused to intervene in the plight of other British residents, saying as recently as March that it could not help people who were not citizens."
The Foreign Office's press release can be read at this link. The video segment from BBC's World is presented below.
#
|
