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Guantanamo Britons to be sent home: Report
London, Nov 30: A deal to return British terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo Bay is to be sealed before Christmas, according to officials from the US and the UK.
London, Nov 30: A deal to return British terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo Bay is to be sealed before Christmas, according to officials from the US and the UK.
The 'returns policy' is now believed to be the leading option being considered in Washington which has made clear that it wants to end the tension with London over the issue.
Under the agreement, the nine British detainees will be sent back to the UK, either after pleading guilty to charges in America and being sent to serve their sentences in British prisons, or without being charged, according to a newspaper report.
It is likely that some of them will be held under Prevention of Terrorism Act. Shafiq Rasul and Asif Iqbal, the so-called two `Tipton Two', could be freed under the deal, the report said.
The agreement will end one of the most damaging conflicts between the White House and Downing Street, which has been pressing for fair trials for the Britons who have been held under military command at the US base in Cuba for two years now.
Many observers feel that the deal was to be signed to mark President George W Bush's visit to London two weeks ago. But complex legal arguments, which are still going on, meant delay.
US has been moving rapidly in recent weeks to solve the Guantanamo problem which has seen strained relations with a number of countries whose citizens are held at the base.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Home Secretary David Blunkett have consistently made it clear that they want to see the suspects sent back to face British justice.
The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, has also made trips to Washington to try to secure a deal.
British human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, who is working with the suspects, said he was confident that a deal had been struck.
"The British government has finally realised it has to help the Americans out of the corner they have painted themselves into," he told the newspaper.
"This deal will most likely consist of the British having to plead guilty on some non-sense charge and come back here to serve their sentence. However it seems highly improbable that Iqbal and Rasul will be charged with anything. There simply is nothing there," he added.
It appears that downing street would be comfortable with some charges being brought but it is clear that the British government could not guarantee a trial of anyone sent back to the UK, one of the original demands made by the US.
"The Americans just want these people to plead guilty so that it looks as if they have been telling the truth that these are all `bad dudes'," Smith said. Bureau Report
Under the agreement, the nine British detainees will be sent back to the UK, either after pleading guilty to charges in America and being sent to serve their sentences in British prisons, or without being charged, according to a newspaper report.
It is likely that some of them will be held under Prevention of Terrorism Act. Shafiq Rasul and Asif Iqbal, the so-called two `Tipton Two', could be freed under the deal, the report said.
The agreement will end one of the most damaging conflicts between the White House and Downing Street, which has been pressing for fair trials for the Britons who have been held under military command at the US base in Cuba for two years now.
Many observers feel that the deal was to be signed to mark President George W Bush's visit to London two weeks ago. But complex legal arguments, which are still going on, meant delay.
US has been moving rapidly in recent weeks to solve the Guantanamo problem which has seen strained relations with a number of countries whose citizens are held at the base.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Home Secretary David Blunkett have consistently made it clear that they want to see the suspects sent back to face British justice.
The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, has also made trips to Washington to try to secure a deal.
British human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, who is working with the suspects, said he was confident that a deal had been struck.
"The British government has finally realised it has to help the Americans out of the corner they have painted themselves into," he told the newspaper.
"This deal will most likely consist of the British having to plead guilty on some non-sense charge and come back here to serve their sentence. However it seems highly improbable that Iqbal and Rasul will be charged with anything. There simply is nothing there," he added.
It appears that downing street would be comfortable with some charges being brought but it is clear that the British government could not guarantee a trial of anyone sent back to the UK, one of the original demands made by the US.
"The Americans just want these people to plead guilty so that it looks as if they have been telling the truth that these are all `bad dudes'," Smith said. Bureau Report