Transfer of US prison to Afghans delayed again

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22754090/transfer-us-prison-afghans-delayed-again

Transfer of US prison to Afghans delayed again
By HEIDI VOGT Associated Press
Posted: 03/09/2013 12:58:30 AM MST
Updated: 03/09/2013 12:58:30 AM MST

KABUL, Afghanistan—The long-awaited transfer of the U.S. detention center in Afghanistan was delayed once again Saturday as a deal struck between the two governments broke down the day before a planned handover ceremony.

The delay suggests that the two sides have yet to resolve thorny issues such as whether Afghans can be held without trial and whether the U.S. will have the power to block the release of detainees it considers particularly dangerous. It also throws a pall over ongoing negotiations for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan after the current combat mission ends in 2014.

As recently as Friday morning, Afghan workers at the Defense Ministry were arranging transport for dignitaries and journalists to attend Saturday's ceremony at the detention center adjoining the Bagram Air Field, a U.S. base about an hour outside of the capital. The Parwan Detention Center houses Afghans and some foreigners picked up by U.S. forces.

Currently, there is an Afghan administrator of the prison, but the Americans have power to veto the release of detainees. The prisoners held under American authority do not have the right to a trial because the U.S. considers them detainees held as part of an ongoing conflict.

Then on Saturday morning, organizers told journalists that the ceremony had been canceled. Afghan officials declined to give a reason.