Guantamano inmate must stay in Sudan if freed-family
KHARTOUM, Aug 16 (Reuters) Washington has asked Khartoum for guarantees that detained Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj will not leave Sudan before it releases him from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, his brother Asim al-Haj said.
Haj, who grew up in Sudan but is based in Qatar for his work with the television channel, was arrested and turned over to U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001.
He was transferred to the US prison in Cuba accused of involvement in ''terrorist'' activity.
''The U.S. administration wants to release Sami al-Haj,'' Asim al-Haj told Reuters after meeting Sudanese Foreign Ministry officials.
''But they want guarantees from the Sudanese government ...
that if they release him he will not leave Sudan,'' he said yesterday.
Haj's lawyer in London, Clive Stafford Smith, said any decision needed to be made quickly as Haj had been on hunger strike for more than 200 days.
In Washington, the State Department said a Pentagon review board has so far determined that Haj should remain detained at Guantanamo and declined comment on whether the United States has sought assurances from Sudan for his release.
''We will not put detainees or our operations at risk by discussing the possibility of transfers or releases before they take place,'' the State Department spokesman said in response to a question posed at press briefing.
Asim al-Haj said his brother could be released by the end of the month.
''The family are of course very happy to hear this news,'' he said, adding they would deal with the conditions of release once his brother returned to Sudan.
''This is a personal decision. His work is in Qatar. If he wants to return to work there then we will decide what to do.'' Stafford Smith said the conditions would be unacceptable.
''It's illegitimate to ban him from travel because his job is in Doha,'' he told Reuters. ''With the British prisoners who were released none were banned from travel.'' Four Britons released from Guantanamo have to get permission from their government to travel.
''We could live with that because the government is obviously not going to withhold permission because he's done nothing wrong,'' Stafford Smith said.
Reuters
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