Obama Orders Guantanamo`s Closure Within A Year

President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered the closure of the Guantanamo military prison within a year and a halt to harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects, moving quickly to restore the U.S. image abroad.

The executive order to shut the prison, a symbol of detainee abuse and detention without charge under the Republican administration of George W. Bush, fulfills a promise Obama made during his campaign.

"The message that we are sending around the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly," Obama said at a signing ceremony in the Oval office.

"We are going to do so effectively and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals," he said.

But officials in Obama's Democratic administration acknowledge that deciding to close the prison is simply the first step in a long, complicated process to determine the fate of its 250 inmates, many of whom have been held years without trial.

The United States wants to try about 80 of the prisoners on terrorism charges. It has cleared 50 other detainees for release but cannot return them to their home countries because of the risk they could be tortured or persecuted there.

Last month, Portugal's foreign minister urged other Europeans to take in Guantanamo prisoners, saying such a move could make it easier for Obama to close the prison. Switzerland has said it is open to taking in prisoners.

The prison was established at a U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and the Bush administration's launch of the "war on terror".