Leaders Discuss Britons Held by U.S.
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair plan to issue a statement today about Washington’s plans to try two British terrorism suspects in a U.S. military court.
Bush and Blair held talks at the White House on Thursday about the fate of the Britons being held at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. More than 200 members of the British Parliament have asked for Feroz Abbasi, 23, and Moazzam Begg, 35, to be repatriated to face trial, but legal experts said there are doubts as to whether a trial in Britain would be feasible.
Washington’s plans to try six foreigners, including the two Britons as well as an Australian, in nonjury military tribunals that could hand out death sentences have sparked worldwide criticism and put added pressure on British-U.S. relations.
But in comments likely to disturb human rights activists, Bush appeared to imply that he believed the suspects, yet to face trial, were guilty.
“The only thing that I know for certain is that these are bad people,” Bush said at a joint news conference with Blair. But, he added, “we will work with the Blair government on this issue.”
Blair said the two leaders would discuss the issue and produce a statement today.
The U.S. set up the Guantanamo Bay detention center to hold terror suspects captured during the war in Afghanistan.
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