White House to Cuba: No Deal on Returning Guantanamo Bay Base
Close the prison? Yes. Close the Navy base? No way, says the White House.
GUANTANAMO, CUBA – JULY 26: Cuban President Raul Castro gestures as he addresses the crowd during a political act to commemorate the 59th anniversary of the attack of the Moncada barracks, led by Fidel Castro in 1953, on July 12, 2012, in Guantanamo, Cuba. Cuba’s president, who was not expected to speech, again offered talks with the U.S. but under the condition of equals.
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President Barack Obama's push to normalize relations with Cuba will not include a deal to give up the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
At a White House briefing on Thursday, press secretary Josh Earnest said that Obama's desire to see the prison at Guantanamo shut down should not be mistaken for an intention to cede control of the entire base back to Cuba.