Obama Promises Mujica to Close Guantanamo

HAVANA, Cuba, May 14 (acn) U.S. President Barack Obama met at the White House with his Uruguayan counterpart, Jose Mujica. During the meeting, the two heads of state spoke about the situation of prisoners in the Guantanamo Naval Base and on the anti-tobacco policy boosted in the Central American nation.

In their first official meeting, of around one-hour long, Obama and Mujica didn't speak "a single word" about the recent legalization of marihuana in Uruguay, but did speak about the planned transfer to that country of up to six prisoners of Guantanamo, as explained by the Uruguayan head of state, the Cubadebate Web site reported on Tuesday.

"He told me he was committed to close that prison (Guantanamo) before the end of his term in office,", said Mujica in a press conference, in which he ruled out that Obama demanded any condition to close the agreement that will allow for the transfer of the prisoners to Uruguay.

The Uruguayan President revealed that during the meeting he mentioned the situation of three Cuban agents imprisoned in U.S. jails for fighting terrorism organized by Miami-based extremist groups.

"A lot of work will have to be put in. I think that this government is the ripest to improve relations with Cuba. But this is all I can say," commented Mujica in a press conference after the meeting with Obama.

At the beginning of the meeting, Obama asserted that Mujica "enjoys extraordinary credibility in matters of democracy and human rights, given his strong values and his personal history, and he's a leader in these issues in the entire hemisphere."