US May Move Detainees To Afghan Prison: White House Pursues Quickest Path To Closing Gitmo...

[helderheid]

White House Pursues Quickest Path To Closing Gitmo; Afghan Prison Not Alternative Prison

WASHINGTON, Jun. 22, 2007
(AP) The United States is helping build a prison in Afghanistan to take some prisoners now at Guantanamo Bay, but the White House said Friday it is not meant as an alternative to the detainee facility in Cuba.

The Bush administration wants to close Guantanamo Bay and move its terror suspects to prisons elsewhere and senior officials have told The Associated Press a consensus is building among the president's top advisers on how to do it.

The administration is looking to resolve the issue swiftly, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino told reporters Friday, although she said there's no deadline set.

"Everybody is working towards the goal to meet what the president has asked them to do, which is to do it as soon as possible," she said of shuttering the facility.

However, a scheduled high-level meeting Friday on the matter was canceled after AP reported on it and the White House said no decision is imminent.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/22/ap/politics/main2967576.shtml