Guantanamo facility "not to close as scheduled in January"

Sep 26, 2009, 15:32 GMT

Washington - The controversial US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will not be closed as planned next January, US government officials said Saturday.

According to a report by US broadcaster CNN, two members of the US administration stated that the planned date to close the facility would not be met, owing to a number of unresolved legal questions.

The closure of the facility, housing terrorist suspects, is still planned to proceed as soon as possible, the officials said.

Four months before the envisioned closure date, the White House replaced Gregory Craig, one of the driving forces for the closure, as lead advisor on the proceedings, according to a Friday report by the Washington Post.

Craig had admitted that he had miscalculated several points concerning shutting down of the facility.

One of the first acts by US President Barack Obama upon taking office last January was ordering the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which was set up by his predecessor George W Bush.