U.S. mulls Guantanamo closure as Bush term nears end

U.S. mulls Guantanamo closure as Bush term nears end
Fri May 2, 2008 2:01pm EDT

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration could
announce plans by the end of its term in January to close
Guantanamo prison and an upcoming Supreme Court ruling
might be the impetus for this, senior U.S. officials and
experts say.

The government is under international and domestic pressure
to close the prison, which opened at the U.S. naval base
at Guantanamo Bay on Cuba in January 2002 to house
terrorism suspects caught after the invasion of
Afghanistan.

"A decision could be made in this administration to announce
the closure of Guantanamo. It is unlikely in the next nine
months that Guantanamo could be physically (closed) but it
is possible the policy decision could be taken to close it,"
said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition he was
not identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Officials say planning and debate has intensified in recent
months over how to deal with Guantanamo, which President
George W. Bush acknowledges has tarnished America's image
and human rights advocates say has damaged U.S credibility.

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