Obama in bid to quell Gitmo backlash

US President Barack Obama sought to quell a domestic backlash against his efforts to close the internationally condemned US prison at Guantanamo Bay and roll back some of the most divisive Bush-era anti-terrorism policies.

Obama made his case in a much-anticipated speech a day after the US Senate, controlled by fellow Democrats who mostly agree Guantanamo, or Gitmo, should be closed, handed him a stinging setback by blocking funds to shut the prison until he presents a detailed plan on what to do with the 240 terrorism suspects held there. If the money is not released soon, it could be difficult for Obama to meet his deadline for decommissioning the prison.

Obama, who succeeded Republican George W Bush on January 20, had vowed in his first days in office to close the detention centre, located at a US Navy base in Cuba, within a year as part of his effort to repair America’s tarnished image abroad. But implementing a revamped approach on detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects has proved more difficult than his administration expected.