28/06/2006
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday defended the treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, saying the administration did its best and that the courts would judge "whether or not we made the right call".
The United States has faced harsh international criticism for its treatment of terrorism suspects at the Guantanamo Bay naval base. Gonzales brushed aside the criticism at the start of a Middle East tour, saying: "They receive top notch medical care. They receive good food. They have good facilities." "I've heard some Europeans come there (to Guantanamo) and say the conditions are better here than the conditions in their own country," Gonzales said. "That's not to say this is something we want to continue." Gonzales said the U.S. Supreme Court was likely to rule on Wednesday or Thursday in a case that challenged President George W. Bush's power to try them before war crimes tribunals.
"We made the best judgment ... based on court precedent, based upon our reading of the law, based upon our reading of the constitution," Gonzales said in response to questions at Tel Aviv University.
"At the end of the day, it is up to the courts to make the decision as to whether or not we made the right call," he said. "It is a difficult issue," Gonzales added. "The president has indicated that he would like to see some progress made in terms of Guantanamo." The Bush administration wants to send home more of the 540 foreign captives held at Guantanamo. But Gonzales said: "The problem is, in some cases, when we try to return them to a home country, a home country doesn't want them." The Bush administration said it will not send prisoners home without credible assurances that they will not be abused or tortured. The Bush administration has stepped up efforts to trim the camp population and has negotiated agreements with Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan on conditions for the return of their citizens. About 310 detainees have been released from Guantanamo since the United States began sending foreign captives to the remote naval base in Cuba in January 2002. The Pentagon has cleared another 120 to leave, either for outright release or for detention in their home nations. "I think, by and large, the courts have vindicated our decisions. In some cases, the courts have disagreed. And when that happens, we ... meet the mandates of the court," Gonzales said.
"We will go to the limits of what our law allows, to what our constitution allows, to protect our country, because, quite frankly, that is what is necessary," he added.
Gonzales will meet with Israeli officials on Wednesday before traveling to Cairo for talks there. SOURCE: Reuters |
