Closing Guantanamo?
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The Pentagon is drawing up plans to shut the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be prepared for any order from President-elect Barack Obama, who has promised to close the controversial facility after he assumes office Jan. 20.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates instructed his staff to have a blueprint in place by the time of the inauguration in case Obama decides the closure of the facility is one of his “first orders of business,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.
Gates “has asked his team for a proposal on how to shut it down -- what would be required specifically to close it and move the detainees from that facility while at the same time, of course, ensuring that we protect the American people from some dangerous characters,” Morrell said at a news briefing.
Gates also said recently that legislation might be required to prevent detainees from seeking asylum in the U.S.
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