President Obama famously vowed to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Section 3 of the Executive Order mandating its closing states:
His plan to do this included various European nations, you know the one's who criticized Bush for the existence of Camp X-Ray, to take some of these. A meeting was held yesterday on just that subject.
But faced with the prospect of actually having to do something other than criticize, they balked.
However, after meeting with top US officials including Attorney General Eric Holder, the Europeans stressed they were here to listen but not take any decisions about whether or not to take in any detainees from the controversial "war on terror" prison....
"We had a mandate not to negotiate but to receive, to get information," Langer told reporters after the talks, adding that "this is an American problem" and "the speed of the process is in the Americans' hands."
But why are they so reluctant? I mean these are just folks who were mistakenly picked up on the battlefield. Right?
Well, let's see:
Barrot said European countries would await answers from Washington on how it intends to avoid a repeat of the Guantanamo situation, with inmates languishing for years without charge amid accusation of harsh treatment and interrogation methods.
Um. How is this germane to the subject at hand?
Come on. Just stop. Why does future detainment policy impact the folks who have been "languishing for years without charge amid accusation of harsh
treatment and interrogation methods"?
Ah, now we get down to it. They want to know if they are dangerous or not.
So what? They won't take dangerous terrorists just the nice terrorists? It seems so. According to Bloomberg
During talks with the Obama administration yesterday, EU representatives said they presented a list of questions about U.S. plans to close Guantanamo and conduct individual reviews of the more than 240 detainees held at the prison camp in Cuba. President Barack Obama directed the reviews on Jan. 22 when he ordered Guantanamo closed within a year...
“We need to have all of the information before we can come to a conclusion” about accepting detainees, Jacques Barrot, vice president of the European Commission, told reporters in Washington.
Because the EU has no internal borders, information about each detainee the U.S. seeks to resettle must be shared with all 27 member states, the officials said. “There is one condition: maximum information,” said Ivan Langer, interior minister of the Czech Republic and president of the European council of interior ministers.
You know what? I don't think Europe is going to help with this as much as the President thought they would. But that's just my guess.
Good thing that the result of the review the President ordered, the Guantanamo Bay facility was judged to be within the guidelines set forth by the Geneva Conventions because I'm thinking President Obama is going to have to keep the place open a little longer than he anticipated.
And he going to need a place to send those he deems dangerous in the future, as well.
The President has the authority to detain persons that the President determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, and persons who harbored those responsible for those attacks. The President also has the authority to detain persons who were part of, or substantially supported, Taliban or al-Qaida forces or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act, or has directly supported hostilities, in aid of such enemy armed forces.
Assuming he doesn't kill them all first, which I admit, would be preferable.