Bush says Guantanamo hurts U.S. image but necessary for security

U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday acknowledged that the detention facility at a U.S. military base in Cuba is hurting America's image abroad, but insisted it is necessary for defending his country.

Speaking at a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, Bush said he understands that many people are unhappy about the detention of suspected terrorists at the Guantanamo naval base, Cuba.

"I would like to close Guantanamo, but I also recognize that we are holding some people who are darn dangerous and we better have a plan to deal with them in our courts," he said.

The president said he believes those detainees should face military tribunals, but he is waiting on a decision from the Supreme Court before moving forward.

Bush says eventually those prisoners will either be returned to their own countries or put on trial with legal counsel.

The Pentagon said in May that it has, at various times, detained 759 prisoners in Guantanamo since the prison opened four and a half years ago.

At present, about 460 prisoners are still being held there while others have been transferred or released.

Only 10 prisoners have been charged by the military tribunals, and no verdicts have been issued so far.

Facing indefinite detention with none of the rights afforded formal prisoners of war, or criminal suspects in the U.S. justice system, dozens of the detainees have undertaken hunger strikes and 23 inmates have also attempted suicide a total of 41 times.

Last Saturday's suicide of three Guantanamo prisoners has increased pressure on the Bush administration to resolve the status of those detainees.

Human rights groups are calling for an independent investigation into the deaths and even Britain, the close U.S. ally, reiterated its concern about Guantanamo.

Source: Xinhua