The prison at the naval base in Guantanamo, in the Cuban southeastern region, will be a controversial issue when confirming the new secretary of Defense, after Charles Hagel''s resignation, the newspaper The Hill said today.
President Barack Obama seeks to close that prison before leaving his post in January, 2017, to keep the promise made in this reference in his electoral campaign in 2008 that took him to the White House for the first time.
But republicans and some democrats object releasing the detainees and bring them to prisons on US soil. Thus, the Government is considering the prison's closing by means of an executive action, although its spokespeople deny it.
According to The Hill, after Hagel left his post, Obama would like to have a new Defense secretary that is a strong ally in this issue and has the willingness to carry out the political battle that the proposal entails, although the new candidate is still unknown.
Washington has maintained, since 2002, a prison for foreigners accused of terrorism at the naval base in Guantanamo, located on Cuban territory, against the will of the people and Government of the Caribbean island.
In 2009, after assuming his first term of office, Obama signed an Executive order to close the prison in less than a year, but the prison remains operational and has 140 detainees.