Photos from Sandy Choi (Foreign Policy Blog)From Times Online:
Barack Obama signalled a new era in relations with Iran yesterday but conceded that he would not be able to close Guantánamo Bay prison camp early in his presidency.
In his most wide-ranging television interview since his election, Mr Obama made clear the scale of the challenges confronting him at home and abroad. He vowed to act immediately on the US economy and the Middle East crisis, promised to engage with Iran, confront terrorism and work out a plan to close Guantánamo. Those issues are only part of a hugely ambitious agenda that some analysts believe will prove unrealistic.
Mr Obama, who will be sworn in as President next Tuesday, repeated his pledge to close Guantánamo Bay, which still holds 248 detainees, but acknowledged that it would not happen in his first 100 days in office. “It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realise,” he said. “Part of the challenge is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom may be very dangerous, who have not been put on trial,” Mr Obama told ABC's This Week. “And some of the evidence against them may be tainted even though it's true” - a reference to claims that some inmates were subjected to torture and harsh interrogations.
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More News On President-elect Obama's Foreign Policy
Obama Signals His Reluctance to Look Into Bush Policies -- New York Times
Obama and the Gaza crisis -- BBC
Obama v. the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran -- Salon
Obama: Unlikely to Close Guantanamo in First 100 Days -- Voice Of America
Obama stretches Guantanamo date -- The Age
Obama Vows to Tackle Middle East 'On Day One' -- Agence France-Presse
Analysis: Mideast diplomacy looms for Obama -- AP
Obama's Inauguration Gets Test Run in Washington -- Voice of America
Servicemembers Rehearse 56th Presidential Inauguration -- AFPS