U.S., Palau in talks on Guantanamo detainees (LAT)

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The Obama administration hopes the tiny island nation will accept some of the Uighur Muslims from China, which Beijing wants returned home as alleged terrorists.
By Julian E. Barnes
5:42 PM PDT, June 9, 2009

Reporting from Washington -- U.S. officials are negotiating with the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau to accept some of the Chinese Muslims being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a move that would represent a major step in the Obama administration's plan to close the prison.

But the difficulty the administration has faced in finding a home for the detainees, who are members of China's Uighur minority, underscores the larger obstacles faced by the White House in meeting its January deadline for closing Guantanamo.

The Uighur detainees, no longer considered a threat to the United States, should have been among the easiest of those at Guantanamo to resettle. But negotiations have dragged, in part because China has pressured countries not to accept the Uighurs, whom Beijing considers separatist terrorists.

Other countries are reluctant to help empty out the controversial prison, especially when no U.S. community has agreed to accept the Uighurs or any other Guantanamo detainee ...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fgw-uighurs10-2009jun10,0,7235598.story

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1. Where did Kirk put Khan?