Obama: Rebuilding Relations- One Ally At a Time

Making friends wherever he goes, 'rebuilding' relations




America's 'Bermuda solution' angers Britain
Decision to send Guantanamo inmates to British colony sours 'special relationship'

By Kim Sengupta
Saturday, 13 June 2009


Senior aides to President Barack Obama accompanied four Uighur prisoners as they were flown from Guantanamo Bay to the British colony of Bermuda, without the UK being informed, it was revealed yesterday.

In an escalating diplomatic row over the transfer of the former terrorist suspects, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the transfer with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in what was said to be an uneasy conversation. Privately Whitehall officials accused America of treating Britain, with whom it is supposed to have a "special relationship", with barely disguised contempt.

One senior official said: "The Americans were fully aware of the foreign-policy understanding we have with Bermuda and they deliberately chose to ignore it. This is not the kind of behaviour one expects from an ally."

The prime minister of Bermuda, Ewart Brown, disclosed that talks regarding the Uighurs had been going on for a full month, with London kept in the dark. "Nothing like this happens overnight. We started these discussions the middle of May," he said. "You can understand that this matter is of such significance and why the talks had to be private and somewhat restricted." Those negotiations culminated in two White House aides, Greg Craig and Daniel Fried, flying to the island with the four prisoners on Thursday to ensure the transfer went smoothly.

[...]

The decision to resettle the men has aroused protests on both islands. In Palau, angry residents are said to have inundated the island's only newspaper to express their concern. In Bermuda, the opposition United Party condemned the " autocratic action".

It is unclear whether the Bermudan governor or the British government, can actually stop the island from giving the Uighurs citizenship.

A terse statement from the Foreign Office said: "The Bermuda government consider this to be a matter regarding their day-to-day responsibility for immigration. We have underlined to the Bermuda government that it should have consulted the UK on whether this falls within their competence or is a foreign affairs or security issue for which the Bermuda government do not have delegated responsibility." British diplomatic sources say that they do not foresee the Uighurs getting travel documents in the immediate future, while talks continue in Bermuda.


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