Tunisia seek to free Guantanamo detainees

According to the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussions took place on Tuesday regarding the issue of Guantanamo with the US Special Envoy. Methods to secure the return of Tunisians who had been detained there for a number of years were examined. In a statement made at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, the Deputy Foreign Minister for the American and Asian Affairs, Al Hadi bin Abbas, discussed the issue of the closure of Guantanamo with Special Envoy in charge of the Ambassador, Daniel Fried. The meeting also tackled the distinguished cooperation between Tunisia and the United States. The statement added: “The meeting tackled methods of securing the best possible conditions for the return of Tunisia’s sons who were detained for years in Guantanamo. The importance of coordination and consultation between the two parties was emphasised. Both have expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation and determination to move forward, until the detainees are released and returned to their homeland. " Al Hadi bin Abbas was part of an official Tunisian delegation that visited Guantanamo between July 2 and 4 this year and discussed the possibility of the return of five Tunisian detainees to their homeland. Bin Abbas said: "These detainees cannot be classified as terrorists, because they were not convicted and no charges were directed to them. They have been arrested in Afghanistan, and there is no evidence on their involvement in any terrorist acts. Twelve Tunisians were thrown into this prison; seven of them were released, while five others — Hisham Sulaita, Lotfi Ben Ali, Adel Hakimi, Reda Zeghidi and Adel Ouarghi —still remain. We are exerting efforts to release them as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of this year."