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Official: Brits Are 'P*ssed' About Uighurs To Bermuda
June 11, 2009 4:43 PM
ABC News' Kirit Radia reports: The U.S. may be happy to see four more detainees leave the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, but close ally Great Britain is not. London is seething because it says it was not adequately consulted about a decision to move four Uighurs -- Chinese Muslims -- to Bermuda today.
"They're pissed," admitted a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The UK provides for Bermuda's defense and foreign affairs, but the State Department today said it dealt directly with the government of Bermuda, who then informed the British Governor General on the island.
One U.S. official said the deal to send the Uighurs to Bermuda "came together very quickly" and another senior State Department official said talks began with the island nation late last month. Great Britain was only informed of the plans yesterday, the official said.
The U.S. refuses to return the Uighurs to China, where Washington fears they would be persecuted over their group's opposition to the Beijing government.
Secretary Clinton spoke on the phone this morning with her British counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Clinton's spokesman Ian Kelly said the two discussed the transfer, but declined to reveal the tenor of the conversation.
Bermuda's Premier Ewart Brown said he met with the Governor General, who, in Brown's words according to the Associated Press, said he would be "seeking to further assess the ramifications of this move before allowing the government of Bermuda to fully implement this action."
The AP quotes a British spokeswoman on background, saying "We've underlined to the Bermuda government that it should have consulted (Britain) on whether this falls within their competence or is a security issue for which the Bermuda government do not have delegated responsibility."
"I don't think we bypassed anybody," said the State Department's Ian Kelly. "We're confident that we can work these things through with the government of the UK."
Kelly said that the U.S. will provide Bermuda with some financial compensation for the transfer, but declined to say how much it would be.
"I think any time that we transfer detainees, we do provide some kind of modest and routine resettlement reimbursement," Kelly said.
One senior State Department official said Bermuda would likely be compensated similar to what the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau is expected to receive as part of a deal that could send the remaining 13 Uighurs there, an amount described as "not very substantial."
June 11, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (25)
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Cleaning up the bush messes will require
sacrifice and loss..for all those involved
in the ILLEGAL transfers...
Posted by: Thomas George | Aug 9, 2009 12:43:48 PM
they are not terrorists !!! haven't they have a right to stay one safe place and live like a humanbeing ? they all for sure want to go back to their home and to reunite with their families , but they will be beheaded by chinese government as soon as they return. Let them just stay there and have a normal life .
Posted by: hm | Jun 16, 2009 6:47:41 AM
I think that we can safely say that we are no longer considered a true ally to Britain. After all, as long as the Muslim countries love us, what difference does it make? Obama and his minions may not have even known the correct way to handle this. What a bunch of incompetents!
Posted by: Joe | Jun 13, 2009 9:54:49 AM
""They're pissed," admitted a senior State Department official"
Everyone together, Kuuumbaaayaaah. Break out the guitar... oh kuumbaayaaah.
Honestly, those of you who believe it is important for the world to like us, and thus do things we think the world wants us to do (like close GITMO), keep in mind, they only want us to do that because it gives them the opportunity to shout us down. When the chips are on the table, like they are now, you find out maybe they aren't such good friends.
Posted by: KR | Jun 12, 2009 11:08:05 AM
..how may times does the U.S. have to screw up the British Empire?... News Flash to all on Brittania ' the sun does set on your empire '
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | Jun 12, 2009 9:34:15 AM
With the Uighurs, every solution has it's own set of problems.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | Jun 12, 2009 9:15:38 AM
This is the silliness that our government is known for and it cost us so much money. If they are innocent let them go, buy a ticket and put them on a plane back to home. I am sure we have such good relations with the China that they will take our word that they are really "good guys" and wouldn't hurt a flea therefore wouldn't be tortured. Killed... maybe. No torture though.
What a screwed up time this is!
Posted by: david | Jun 11, 2009 10:40:17 PM
WOW! will Obama pay for me to go to Bermuda?
Posted by: just asking | Jun 11, 2009 10:16:13 PM
"And a racist party gained two seats.
Free Republic is doing cartwheels. "
Racism is only okay if you call it anti-Zionism.
Posted by: paul | Jun 11, 2009 10:14:43 PM
""the brits also threw out their liberal government this weekend."
And a racist party gained two seats."
The Brits only threw out their liberal lefties at county and EU level, the lefties are still in power in National government. In fact we just swopped liberal lefties for liberal Conservatives they're all the same these days.
And the British National Party are not racist!
Posted by: Stuart | Jun 11, 2009 9:24:49 PM
...let me see: payback time for the off~shore tax~haven!? but wait a minute, on the one hand Obama is complaining about losing all that money that could be gotten from the tax exempt companies operating there and now he's going to reward Bermuda with millions for babysitting the Tora Bora Uighurs. um um, sveets me bye ~ saying a taste! bye's fullish bye!
Posted by: bermuda onion | Jun 11, 2009 8:15:28 PM
"the brits also threw out their liberal government this weekend."
And a racist party gained two seats.
Free Republic is doing cartwheels.
Posted by: Ryan C | Jun 11, 2009 7:41:16 PM
the brits also threw out their liberal government this weekend. the chinese want these folks back because they are terrorists. way to go alcu and obama. by the way how are those talks going with north korea and iran...oh their goes another missle over our heads.
Posted by: catman | Jun 11, 2009 6:42:23 PM
We have enough crooks running our island, we don't need anyone else's problems, thanks.
Posted by: bermyboy | Jun 11, 2009 6:14:32 PM
Amazing how we are treating our closest ally.
Posted by: Jason | Jun 11, 2009 6:07:24 PM
Send the terrorist wannabees back to China,and ask them for a $Billion in debt forgiveness.
Smart Power, new era of diplomacy.
Posted by: Woody Pfister | Jun 11, 2009 5:54:26 PM
I hear the Uighurs will be landing in Bermuda with new taxpayer-financed ipods containing all of Obama's favorite speeches.
Posted by: J House |
--------------------
and some nice photos from the recent family vacation to France.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | Jun 11, 2009 5:37:20 PM
I hear the Uighurs will be landing in Bermuda with new taxpayer-financed ipods containing all of Obama's favorite speeches.
Posted by: J House | Jun 11, 2009 5:31:32 PM
I'm just trying to picture Britain negotiating a deal to put Basque separatists in American Samoa without talking to our State Department first. Especially if we've already said we don't want them in the US.
I'm actually kind of wondering if it's possible the person at our State Department didn't know of Bermuda's relationship with Britain.
Posted by: MayBee | Jun 11, 2009 5:14:55 PM
What's the big deal? No terrorists have ever escaped from one of our Supermax Bermuda triangles.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | Jun 11, 2009 5:10:06 PM
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