US to modify Guantanamo detention policies

The President has the authority to detain persons who planned or aided the 2001 terrorist attacks as well as those who were part of,or substantially supported,Taliban or al-Qaeda forces,administration lawyers wrote.

The Obama administration said it was relying on existing principles of the international law of war. A public statement indicated that the Government was moving away from claims of expansive executive power often used by the Bush administration to justify Guantanamo.

The Obama administration said the new definition does not rely on the Presidents authority as commander-in-chief beyond the powers authorised by Congress. The filing,in US district court in Washington,was meant to provide a definition of those detainees who can be held.