U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has appointed Cliff Sloan, a Washington lawyer, as Special Envoy to oversee the closure of the controversial U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, it was announced on Monday.
"This decision or this announcement reflects the Administration's commitment to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. As the President recently stated during his speech at NDU, the continued operation of Guantanamo is not efficient, effective, or in the interests of our national security," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said at a press briefing.
With his appointment, Sloan now becomes a key player in President Barack Obama's renewed efforts for closing down the detention facility, which the current U.S. administration believes has damaged the reputation of the United States on the international stage.
"Special Envoy Sloan brings a wealth of experience as an accomplished litigator and pragmatic problem-solver, a skillset that will prove valuable as he serves as the lead negotiator for the transfer of Guantanamo detainees abroad and manages the multitude of diplomatic issues related to the President's directives to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, implement transfer determinations, and conduct a periodic review of those detainees who are not approved for transfer," Psaki said while announcing the appointment.
She stressed that Obama's recent statements reflects the importance his administration attaches to the closure of the controversial facility, and moving the detainees to other facilities and countries that are willing to accept them.
"This is one step of that process. There will be other officials that Mr. Sloan will be working with across the government to accomplish this goal. But this just shows a renewed focus on this effort and renewed commitment to delivering on the President's directive," Psaki said.
When reminded by a reporter that Obama had first announced his intention to shut down the facility during his 2008 presidential campaign, she added: "When the President of the United States talks about something in his speech, when we've taken follow-up steps like appointing this official to work here at the State Department, this is something we are committed to and we will be driving moving forward."
Psaki, however, declined to specify a time-frame for shutting down the detention facility, which holds terror suspects. Notably, some of the inmates at the facility have been held without charges of trials for years.
Notably, Obama signed an order to close the facility in his first term in office, but Congress has so far refused to authorize the move. Obama has since voiced his intentions to close down the facility at least three times in the past four years, but his efforts to do so have been hampered by continued opposition from the Congress.
Around half of the 166 detainees at the detention center have been cleared for transfer to their home countries or third countries for resettlement. However, the cleared detainees continue to remain in the center, alongside those reportedly designated for indefinite detention, in the wake of failure of Washington's efforts to find countries willing to accept them. About 100 of them are currently on a hunger-strike to protest their continued detention.
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