Downing Street Says » Guantanamo Detainees

Asked for a reaction to the letter from the US Embassy in London regarding four of the five former British detainees at Guantanamo Bay, as reported in today’s Sun, the PMOS said he was not going to comment on the letter per se. This had been a unique circumstance. The issues in question had been discussed at length and in detail at the highest level between the British and US Governments. It was a very complex matter. The decisions had clearly not been taken lightly. Very careful consideration had been given to all the issues that you would expect. The former detainees who had returned the UK recently had all gone through the appropriate police procedures under the Terrorism Act on arrival. They had been interviewed by the Met’s anti-terrorist officers, following close liaisons between the police and the CPS. There were clearly still four individuals who were detained at Guantanamo Bay. Discussions about them were continuing. Asked if the letter from the US Embassy had come as a surprise to the Government, the PMOS said that he had no intention of getting drawn into a discussion about that particular piece of correspondence. The fact that discussions had taken place over the course of six months between the UK and US Governments should be seen as an indication of the seriousness with which these complex and challenging issues had been addressed. Asked if he was suggesting that the discussions should be seen as an indication of the serious crimes in which the four former detainees were alleged to have been involved, the PMOS said he was simply pointing to the difficulties surrounding the issues. The Government would do whatever it thought was necessary to protect the UK. That would be done with due recognition for the rights of individuals.

Asked if it remained the Government’s position that the four former detainees posed no threat to the UK, as David Blunkett had stated, the PMOS said that he had no intention getting into the detail of the handling of the individuals concerned subsequent to their return. The Home Secretary had made it clear that we would take every necessary and appropriate step to maintain the protection of national security and public safety. Put to him that there were now three versions of events regarding the backgrounds of these people, the PMOS repeated that the decisions made by the Government had been taken in consultation with the US Administration. These had been complex and challenging issues to deal with. He did not intend to get drawn into commenting on individual cases. All he would say was that the individuals concerned had been subjected to the appropriate police procedures under the Terrorism Act on their return to the UK and that we would take whatever measures were necessary to protect this country. Put to him repeatedly that the US’s view of the threat posed by the four was completely different to the Home Secretary’s view, the PMOS repeated that the Home Secretary had made clear that the Government would take whatever steps were necessary to protect national security and public safety. He was not going to discuss individual cases. All he would say was that the reason why they had taken so long to address was because of the complexities of the issues we had been dealing with.

3 Comments »

I was going to comment, but I don’t think I am qualified to have an opinion because these are *really* complex matters. As long as you are managing the commission of gross human rights abuses against your own citizens "in consultation with the US Administration" then I am happy, because that means everything is OK.
Comment by Ally Hodder — 18 Mar 2004 on 4:55 pm | Link
For information, the Sun story with the letter in it is,
<a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004122653,00.html">http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004122653,00.html</a>
and the letter itself is,
<a href="http://images.thesun.co.uk/picture/0,,2004121234,00.jpg">http://images.thesun.co.uk/picture/0,,2004121234,00.jpg</a>
Comment by Chris Lightfoot — 18 Mar 2004 on 8:00 pm | Link
Yes really complex

IF guilty THEN charge them ELSE release them

its just that like a well known operating system from the other Washington everything runs VERY SLOWLY in the USA.
Comment by Roger Huffadine — 18 Mar 2004 on 5:50 pm | Link

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» Thursday, March 18, 2004

Guantanamo Detainees

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