As a show of good will after Obama's election, however, Portugal, Germany, Britain and Australia have signaled a willingness to help close Guantanamo by taking in some of the prisoners.
A key case is Omar Khadr, a Toronto-born youth captured in Afghanistan who is considered by many human rights advocates to have been a child soldier -- not a willful participant -- in the 2002 firefight for which he faces war crimes charges.
Canada has resisted taking Khadr, but Michael Byers, a University of British Columbia international law professor, said that might change because the Canadian prime minister, "like every Western political leader, will want to establish a good relationship with the new American president."
The same quest for Obama's appreciation may encourage Yemen to accept its 100 or so nationals, who account for the biggest group of remaining prisoners, said Stacy Sullivan of Human Rights Watch.
Sullivan said there had been talk of a Yemeni detainee rehabilitation program along the lines of a Saudi Arabian program that has provided jobs, homes and arranged marriages for more than 100 Saudis once at Guantanamo.
Meantime, the Guantanamo commander plans to provide more "intellectual stimulation" for prisoners -- longer exercise periods in groups of up to 10, access to more reading material and classes in English and basic Pashto and Urdu.
Foosball tables have appeared in the lower-security Camp 4. Sudoku books, a weekly art class and crude exercise equipment have been added to the maximum-security sites where cement walls and steel cell doors make interaction among the men difficult.
About once every two weeks, prisoners who adhere to all camp rules are allowed to watch a movie or taped television program in the rooms earlier used for interrogations.
Until the prisoners leave, the mission is to provide safe and humane detention, Thomas said, predicting "many of them will probably still be here six months from now."
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carol.williams@latimes.com
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