JEDDAH, 24 October 2004 — The US will soon release more than 40 Saudi prisoners held in Guantanamo, Cuba, from a total of 124 who were arrested by American forces during the war on terror in Afghanistan, press reports said.
The US has already informed Saudi authorities that the prisoners would be released shortly, Okaz reported yesterday quoting diplomatic sources. But the sources did not give a timeframe for the release. “The Americans with whom we work through joint committees set up after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks have informed us that they are now working on setting the Saudis free,” the sources said.
Crown Prince Abdullah had delegated Prince Muhammad ibn Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, to meet with US President George W. Bush and discuss the issue of Saudi prisoners. About a year-and-a-half ago, US authorities released five Saudi prisoners in Guantanamo.
Ahmed Mazhar, the chief Saudi lawyer for defending Guantanamo prisoners, said recently that direct Saudi-US negotiations “are bound to lead to the settlement of that issue in a quicker way than judicial procedures, which might take a long time.”
He said Islamabad was able to secure the release of many Pakistani prisoners in Guantanamo through direct official negotiations. Mazhar stressed Saudi lawyers, who have taken it upon themselves to defend the Guantanamo prisoners, were asked to suspend their efforts pending the outcome of direct negotiations.
A Saudi security team had visited the prisoners in Guantanamo “to check on their situation, help bring about their release and ensure they are in touch with their families,” an Interior Ministry source said.
“The team met all 124 Saudi detainees and found that they are generally in good physical and psychological shape and that all those who were wounded during the Afghan war have recovered,” the source said.
