US President Barack Obama said today that he will "carefully" cooperate with Congress in order to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where terrorism suspects are held.
Obama told reporters at the APEC summit in Manila that he saw no reason why the terrorist attacks in Paris would change his plans to close that center, which he promised during his first campaign for the US presidency.
He said he intends to submit a plan to Congress on a strategy to close Guantanamo, but did not mention a timeline. The White House had hoped to send the plans to Congress this week, but the entire process has been delayed over cost concerns, officials said.
"We will work carefully with Congress to see what our options are," Obama said after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Critics of Guantanamo Bay say Friday's attacks in Paris, which killed 129 people, are new evidence that the US cannot risk transferring detainees to other countries or prisons on US soil. There are 107 people in the Guantanamo prison.
Obama said he expects opposition in Congress, saying there is a "strong tendency" in the US to emphasize issues that do not make the country safer.
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