U.S. General Urges Detainees in Cuba to Resume Eating

With the number of hunger strikers declining, a U.S. Marine general told captives of the war on terrorism Friday to cooperate with interrogators and follow camp rules.

“Refusing food and drink is not the answer,” Brig. Gen. Michael Lehnert said, his voice echoing over the loudspeaker of the detention compound on the 10th day of a waning hunger strike. “You only punish yourself.”

The commander of the compound known as Camp X-Ray spoke shortly after 21 men refused breakfast--down from a high of 194 refusing food a week ago.

He told detainees claiming they were not Taliban or Al Qaeda that they will have their day in court.

“Some of you have said you are innocent and that you are not Taliban or Al Qaeda,” Lehnert said. “To you I would say that America is a nation of laws. Your case will be heard, and you will be judged fairly.”

U.S. officials are determining whether and how to prosecute the 300 men held at the naval base in southeastern Cuba. Those not tried by a military tribunal could be prosecuted in U.S. courts, returned to their home countries for prosecution, held indefinitely, or released outright.

Lehnert told the men he couldn’t say how long they would have to remain at the base.

About 15 of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are being treated at a field hospital, many recovering from war wounds.

The rest appeared to listen to Lehnert’s speech inside their chain-link cells. An Arabic translation followed over the loudspeakers, and interpreters were on hand to translate the general’s words into other languages.

“Within five weeks, all of you will be moved to another place nearby where you will each have a bed, running water, a sink and a toilet,” Lehnert said.

Work recently began on a more permanent detention center to replace Camp X-Ray, hastily built during the war on Afghanistan, and the first 408 cells are to be finished about April 12.

“There will be an exercise area, and conditions will be better for you,” the general said.

He also touched on recent improvements, noting that meals now include hot tea, and that reading glasses would be given to those who need them.

Lehnert warned that camp rules must be followed. “If you attack, or talk back to a guard, you will be punished.”

“You must tell the truth during questioning. Then, and only then, will we be able to determine who will be allowed to return home,” he said.

The hunger strike--the first mass protest since detainees began arriving at the base nearly two months ago--began Feb. 27 after guards stripped an inmate of his turban during prayers.

Lehnert said that guards have taken classes and are now better able to tell when captives are practicing their religion.

In urging all to resume eating, the general referred them to a verse in the Koran, the sacred text of Islam.

“You must take care of yourselves and exercise patience, giving yourself up to the will of Allah,” he said.

It was the general’s second address to detainees, and he now plans to speak to them on a weekly basis, said Marine Maj. Stephen Cox, a spokesman. “It relieves tension,” Cox said.

Also Friday, U.S. sailors raised a New York City flag at the entrance to the camp as a reminder of those killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.