Embassy Events
Ambassador Fried on Slovak Radio about Guantanamo detainees
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| Daniel Fried, Special Envoy to Guantanamo. Photo: AP. |
Slovak Radio ran a 90-second news report from an interview with Ambassador Dan Fried on its Slovak Journal news program broadcast September 21 at 7 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. Ambassador Fried, who is the U.S. diplomat leading efforts to resettle Guantanamo’s detainees, said that the US hopes that Slovakia will accept a detainee from Guantanamo. "I respect the Slovak government, it needs to make sovereign decisions - so if it’s no, it’s no," Fried said. "But the argument on the other side is that closing Guantanamo will help all of us because it will deprive extremists of an excuse." France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Hungary have already agreed to take detainees. "Slovakia can ask them how the experience was," Ambassador Fried said. "Secondly, we wouldn’t ask any government to accept anyone on faith. They will have a chance to look at the file, interview the person and make an informed decision. This is a sovereign decision of the government of Slovakia, which may decide to help, may decide not to."
