Cliff Sloan Picked to Spearhead Guantanamo Closing - East Idaho News
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Cliff Sloan Picked to Spearhead Guantanamo Closing

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Getty 061713 GuantanamoBay?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1371498923731John Moore/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Cliff Sloan, a top Washington lawyer, has been chosen as the State Department’s special envoy to close Guantanamo Bay, marking a step forward in what has been an arduous effort to fulfill President Obama’s campaign promise to close the prison.

“This announcement reflects the administration’s commitment to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,” State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said Monday.

“Special Envoy Sloan brings a wealth of experience as an accomplished litigator and pragmatic problem-solver, a skill set that will prove valuable as he serves as the lead negotiator for the transfer of Guantanamo detainees abroad and manages the multitude of diplomatic issues related to the president’s directives to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, implement transfer determination and conduct a periodic review of those detainees who are not approved for transfer,” Psaki continued.

Sloan, a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates, has served in both President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton’s administrations in the Justice Department and as associate White House counsel, respectively.

The effort to close Guantanamo has been stymied by Washington politics and legislation preventing detainees from being transferred from the Cuba facility to the United States. According to the State Department, 166 detainees remain in the facility.

Obama renewed a promise to close the base in a foreign policy speech at the National Defense University in March. He called on Congress to lift restrictions on detainee transfers from Guantanamo Bay to other countries, including the United States.

Sloan’s predecessor in the role, Daniel Fried, left the post and was reassigned within the State Department in January after making little progress in closing Guantanamo.

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