MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Controversy in Uruguay over transfer of Guantanamo prisoners, before or after October election

Ambassador Reynoso said that the US does impose a date for the transfer, although it is preferable it happens before Mujica steps down

US ambassador in Montevideo, Julissa Reynoso said that Washington “does not impose a date” for the transfer and arrival of the Guantanamo prison detainees to be accepted by Uruguay, but admitted that the ideal would be for this to happen before the end of President Jose Mujica's mandate next March first.

 “The US government at no moment pressured Uruguay to speed the transfer of the six Guantanamo prisoners” indicated Ms Reynoso in reference to a piece in The New York Times, which mentioned that vice-president Jose Biden had 'pressured' via a phone call to President Mujica to accept a quick arrival of the detainees.

According to the NYT piece apparently Mujica considered it was not the most appropriate moment for such transfer given the proximity of the presidential elections (October 26), and because of this an aircraft that had flown to Cuba to pick up the prisoners had to return to the US.

Reynoso underlined that it was “most inadequate” to talk about 'pressure' since Biden has great 'respect and care' for Mujica. She added “we do not impose the transfer date”.

Allegedly the US believes that the agreement reached with Uruguay regarding the Guantanamo prisoners is “a state to state” deal and has nothing to do with those political parties that don't make up the ruling coalition.

The issue of Guantanamo prisoners has been addressed by Ambassador Reynoso with the ruling coalition candidate, Tabaré Vazquez. However opposition candidates, Luis Lacalle Pou and Pedro Bordaberry are against Uruguay receiving the prisoners. Besides it is not clear yet how many will be definitively transferred, six as originally stated or ten or twelve, as the latest numbers mentioned by government officials.

Uruguay's deputy Executive secretary Diego Canepa also denied on Monday that Mujica had been pressured to speed the transfer of the Guantanamo prisoners and anticipated it won't happen “until two to three months time”.

Although no date has been set for the transfer, the Pentagon in July handed the U.S. Congress a legally required 30-day notice that it intended to transfer the small group of prisoners from the base in Cuba.

A poll released in July showed 64% of Uruguayans opposed the plan to allow the prisoners refugee status.

Guantanamo has been criticized by human rights groups, with some of its prisoners held for a decade or longer without being charged or given a trial. Opened by U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002 to hold terrorism suspects rounded up overseas, Guantanamo became a symbol of the excesses of his “war on terror.”

U.S. President Barack Obama promised to shut the detention facility during his first presidential election campaign, but has yet to carry out that pledge.