We are going to close Gitmo,' says Obama

Washington, Jan.12 (ANI) US President-elect Barack Obama has reiterated his promise to close the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where hundreds of detainees have been held for years without trial or even being charged with a crime.

But he could not promise that it would be done quickly.

Obama, who has been receiving daily national security briefings since his election in November, acknowledged that his campaign pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay would be more of a challenge than he anticipated.

Many of those held at the military site are suspected terrorists or potential witnesses in cases against them.

"It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize - and we are going to get it done - but part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication," he said.

About 250 detainees are still held there.

Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of the first prisoners arriving at Guantanamo, which was set up after the 9/11 attacks, in order to house suspected terrorists without putting them under the auspices of the American judicial system.

In the interview recorded Saturday and broadcast today on ABC's "This Week," Obama told host George Stephanopoulos, that "It is possible for us to keep the American people safe while still adhering to our core values and ideals, and that's what I intend to carry forward in my administration."

Obama would not say whether it could be achieved within the first 100 days of his term, citing the challenge of creating a balanced process "that adheres to rule of law, habeas corpus, basic principles of Anglo-American legal system, but doing it in a way that doesn't result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up." (ANI)