U.S., Britain in Talks Over Detainees

The British government said Thursday that it was discussing with the United States the possibility of repatriating British terrorism suspects from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to stand trial in Britain.

“We are discussing a range of issues with the U.S. administration, including repatriation. Those discussions are continuing,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair said.

The United States announced July 3 that six foreign terrorism suspects were eligible for military trials, and Britain the next day said two of its citizens were included: Feroz Abbasi, 23, and Moazzam Begg, 35.

If convicted in the U.S. military trials, they could face the death penalty.

Blair has said his government is in close contact with Washington about the fate of the British detainees in the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, which was set up to house suspected members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda seized after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Blair has stressed Britain’s opposition to the death penalty, expressed strong reservations about the proposed military tribunals and called for an open legal process. Human rights groups have also criticized the U.S. trial plans.