Obama tries to ease concern over Gitmo

Speaking at the National Archives,which houses the Constitution and other documents embodying Americas system of Government and justice,the President promised to work with Congress to develop a safe and fair system for dealing with those Guantanamo detainees who cannot be prosecuted yet who pose a clear danger to the American people.

I want to be honest: this is the toughest issue we will face, the President said.

Nevertheless,despite the evil intentions of some Guantanamo detainees and the undeniable fact that al-Qaeda terrorists are determined to attack America again,US citizens should not feel uneasy about a relatively small number of detainees being imprisoned in the American homeland,Obama said.

As we make these decisions,bear in mind the following fact: nobody has ever escaped from one of our federal supermax prisons,which hold hundreds of convicted terrorists, the President said.

Minutes after Obama finished speaking,former Vice-President Dick Cheney offered a far different perspective,defending the anti-terrorism policies of the Bush administration and criticising some of President Obamas approaches.