By Prensa Latina
Washington : Five former US secretaries of State have recommended the next US government to close the Guantanamo prison and open talks with Iran, reported the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The former chiefs of the American diplomacy held a conference in Athens city, state of Georgia, in which they reached a consensus on the two issues.
Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, James Baker III, Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright sat in a round-table discussion on Thursday, sponsored by the University of Georgia at a sold-out conference center in downtown Athens.
“We are now going back to our traditional respective forms of dealing with people who potentially committed crimes,'” said Colin Powell, who served as President Bush’s first secretary of state.
Kissinger called Guantanamo a “blot on us” and agreed it should be closed.
“It gives us a very, very bad name, not just internationally,” said Baker, a lawyer who served in President George H.W. Bush’s Cabinet.
The former secretaries of state also urged that the US open a line of dialogue with Iran, each saying it is important to maintain contact with adversaries and allies alike.