State Department Talking Points memo on the use of Guantanamo Bay as a detention facility for Al Qaida and Taliban detainees. The memo provides some background information on the decision to use Guantanamo, including the legislative context and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld calling Guantanamo the “least worst place” to hold detainees. In addition, it states that the Cuban government, and Fidel Castro specifically, were not objecting to the facility being used as planned.
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Cuba: al-Qaida Detainees at Guantanamo
Legislative Context: No Congressional Members have raised
objections regarding the use of Guantanamo Naval Base in
Cuba to detain al-Qaida, Taliban, and other detainees.
Senator Specter, who recently traveled to Cuba and met with
Castro, was impressed by Cuba's decision not to object to
this use of Guantanamo.
Talking Points:
•
Guantanamo is, in the words of Secretary Rumsfeld, the
"least worst place" to hold these detainees.
•
The detainees will be treated humanely, and the ICRC will
be given access to the base.
•
Cuba has indicated that it will not object to this use of
the base.
Issue Background:
Guantanamo Naval Base was selected as the site for
detaining captured al-Qaida, Taliban, and other detainees.
Initially, the detainees are being held at "Camp X-Ray,"
8'x 6'x 6' chain link units; by February 8, there will be
room for 640 detainees in 320 units. DoD tasked the JTF
commander with eventually housing up to 2,000 detainees.
There are ongoing discussions about building larger and
more durable detention facilities.
The JTF commander is also responsible for ensuring that
Guantanamo retains capacity for migrant surge operations.
Cuba did not object to this use of the base, and has even
allowed limited use of Cuban airspace to permit safer
approaches by arriving heavy U.S. military transport
aircraft. Its unexpectedly cooperative attitude might be
traced to the regime's desire to encourage Congressional
support for legislative efforts to break down the embargo
and travel restrictions.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: WILLIAM E LANDFAIR DATE/CASE ID: 04 OCT 2004 200303827
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E:\SEARACCA\2002 Documents\2002 briefers and tps\al gaida
at gtmo for secy.doc
Drafted: WHA/CCA: Kevin Whitaker
01/18/02 x:202-647-7488
Cleared: WHA - OJReich
WHA - LGutierrez
WHA - WRBrownfield ok
WHA/CCA - JCarragher ok
D - RGilchrist ok
P - MHammer ok
S/P - MZarin ok
L/WHA - EPelofsky ok
PRM/ENA - SBazala ok
PM - SPeters ok
CA - ERamotowski ok
S/WCI - BBlaschke ok
WHA/PPC - GSprow ok
H - DSmith ok
WHA - WMiele ok
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