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Powell says no quick deal on Guantanamo Britons
London, Nov 28: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a newspaper interview today that no deal was imminent over nine Britons detained as ``enemy combatants`` at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
London, Nov 28: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a newspaper interview today that no deal was imminent over nine Britons detained as ''enemy combatants'' at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
''There are some very complex legal issues that our lawyers are still working out,'' Powell told Britain's Guardian newspaper, referring to two Britons due to appear before a military tribunal.
He said the seven others faced more interrogation to determine ''whether or not they have done something wrong'' and ''what danger they present''. The Guantanamo prison was set up in January 2002 to hold combatants captured in Afghanistan. It also houses others suspected of links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, blamed by the United States for the September 11 attacks and bomb attacks.
No charges have been filed against any of the 660 prisoners held there. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush failed last week to reach an agreement on the British citizens.
Blair said the detainees would either be returned to Britain for trial or be tried by a US military commission.
Their treatment has appalled many Britons and human rights groups who want the prisoners to receive a fair trial or be released. One of Britain's most senior judges condemned the United States on Tuesday for its ''monstrous failure of justice'' in holding prisoners at the naval base in Cuba.
Law Lord Johan Steyn said in a speech in London that the prisoners were being held illegally.
Bureau Report
He said the seven others faced more interrogation to determine ''whether or not they have done something wrong'' and ''what danger they present''. The Guantanamo prison was set up in January 2002 to hold combatants captured in Afghanistan. It also houses others suspected of links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, blamed by the United States for the September 11 attacks and bomb attacks.
No charges have been filed against any of the 660 prisoners held there. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush failed last week to reach an agreement on the British citizens.
Blair said the detainees would either be returned to Britain for trial or be tried by a US military commission.
Their treatment has appalled many Britons and human rights groups who want the prisoners to receive a fair trial or be released. One of Britain's most senior judges condemned the United States on Tuesday for its ''monstrous failure of justice'' in holding prisoners at the naval base in Cuba.
Law Lord Johan Steyn said in a speech in London that the prisoners were being held illegally.
Bureau Report