After meeting with Lt Col Yvonne Bradley this afternoon the Foreign Secretary made the following statement:
Read the statement:
I met Binyam Mohamed’s US military defence counsel Lt Col Yvonne Bradley today. I wanted to hear her views personally, particularly following her recent visit to Guantanamo. We have long been concerned by reports of Mr Mohamed’s medical condition, and her account underlined those concerns.
As I made clear in Parliament last week we are working as fast and hard as we can to secure Mr Mohamed’s release from Guantanamo and return to the UK. We want him to be released as soon as possible. FCO officials and the Embassy in Washington have held further talks at senior level in recent days with the US Administration.
President Obama’s Executive Orders of 22 January established a review of the cases of all those detained at Guantanamo. Following our representations, the US Administration have now agreed that Mr Mohamed’s case should be treated as a priority in this process. We continue to work with the US to achieve a swift resolution.
The US Administration yesterday also agreed that Foreign Office officials should visit Mr Mohamed as soon as possible. The visit will help us make preparations for his return, should the review confirm a decision to release him. The team will include a Metropolitan Police Service doctor, who would take part in any return, so that he may assess Mr Mohamed’s condition himself and report back.
