PHOENIX (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's order to shut Guantanamo prison was welcomed by many Americans as a boost to the country's tarnished prestige abroad, but some were worried about moving the prisoners to the United States.

"Closing Guantanamo may give a better perception of the United States. There's a lot to be done, but it is a step," said salesman Jason Resto as he stopped to fill his car at a Phoenix Valley gas station.

Obama signed the executive order on Thursday, signaling his determination to reverse some of the policies of President George W. Bush that had stirred condemnation abroad.

He set a one-year deadline for shutting the prison at Guantanamo Bay U.S. military base in Cuba, barred harsh treatment of terrorism suspects held there and closed secret CIA jails overseas, pledging to combat "violence and terrorism" in a way consistent with American "values and our ideals."

Closing the jail "sends a clear message about what we believe in," said retiree Deborah Guimon, as she shopped in Scottsdale, Arizona, expressing a view echoed by rights activists.

"We wanted an executive order on the first day and we got it on the second day so we're thrilled," said David Gushee, president of Evangelicals for Human Rights, which has been part of a broader group of religious organizations campaigning against Bush detention policies.

Atlanta-based Gushee said the order to close the jail and end rough interrogation techniques were good first steps, although he said he would also like to see "legislation that solidifies these important new commitments."

NOT IN OUR BACK YARD

While many Americans welcomed the move, others worried about what will actually be done with the 250 or so detainees, around 80 of whom the United States may seek to try.

Pentagon officials have inspected several military bases in the United States that could potentially replace the detention center for foreign terrorism suspects at Guantanamo, among them military facilities in Kansas and California.

Congressional Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, introduced legislation on Thursday to prevent Guantanamo detainees from being transferred to either Marine Corps Air Station Miramar or Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, Calif.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, an staunch Obama supporter and a one-time potential Cabinet appointee, has adamantly opposed moving the detainees to Fort Leavenworth, which she said was "not properly equipped to safely detain these foreign prisoners."

Residents close to the base, which is the home of the Army graduate school for U.S. military leaders, also vigorously opposed the possible arrival of Guantanamo detainees.

"Nobody wants them. I think they should send them all to Alcatraz," said Mary Kendall, a manager of a thrift store in the Leavenworth area, the long-closed island prison in San Francisco bay.

"Everybody is just waiting to see what they decide."

(Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:37pm )
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