YEMEN HAILS GITMO DETAINEE RELEASE DECISION

WASHINGTON, Sep. 27 (Saba) - A spokesman for Yemen Washington
embassy has welcomed the U.S. decision over the release of a Yemeni
Guantanamo detainee and transferring him to his homeland.

Mohammed al-Basha highlighted the embassy efforts to release Ala'a
Ali Bin Ali Ahmed, detainee 692, from Yemen's port city of Aden,
saying it had held talks and meetings with a number of U.S. top
officials at the White House, Department of State and the ministry
of Justice to accelerate sending the detainee to his country.

A US judge ruled in May to release the Yemeni detainee for lack of
evidence for his involvement in terrorist plots and attacks.

Ala'a was arrested in 2002 by the Pakistani police in connection
with running an al-Qaeda cell. In the meantime, the embassy renewed
Yemen's calls on the U.S. to release the remaining Yemeni detainees
at the U.S. jail in Cuba.

Earlier president Ali Abdullah Saleh urged the U.S. to hand over the
files of the Yemeni Gitmo inmates, assuring the US those who could
be proved involved in plotting and implementing attacks against the
U.S. interests would receive fair trials under the country's law.
Saleh also noted that he discussed with U.S. officials the
preparation of rehabilitation programs for the detainees.

Ala'a is the second Yemeni to be ordered freed after Salim Hamdan,
Osama Bin Laden's driver, was transferred to Yemen in November 2008.

Hamdan was tried under new military commission standards in August
and found charged with providing material support for terrorism.

He received a 66 month jail sentence after his attorneys recognized
his minor role, the decision which surprised U.S. defense officials.
Hamdan served about 61 months of his full term at Guantanamo and
served out the rest of his term in Yemen after the U.S. authorities
agreed to transfer him to his country.

Earlier Yemen urged its detainees should not stay at prison without
trial, because laws and international human rights accords never
allow such measure.

Early this year, the U.S. announced it was considering sending some
or all of the Yemeni detainees to Saudi Arabia as it praised the
kingdom's rehabilitation centers and programs.

The move was strongly resisted by Yemen, which urged its citizens
must be sent home, assuring it would do every thing to ensure their
better integration into their society.

FR