Guantanamo Issue 'Not Currently Negotiated by US, Cuba'

A US senator told Sputnik that Cuba and US are "not discussing" the Gitmo issue.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The issue of Guantanamo is not currently being negotiated by the governments of the United States and Cuba, US Senator Jeff Flake told Sputnik on Thursday on the sidelines of the Cuba Summit in Washington, DC.

"I don't think it's even on the table at all right now," Flake said when asked whether Washington and Havana can come to an agreement on Guantanamo. 

In January 2015, Cuban President Raul Castro called on the United States to return the Guantanamo Bay area to Cuba after the December 2014 announcement that the two countries would normalize relations.

Washington has leased Guantanamo Bay, where a US naval base is located, since 1903. In 2002, the Guantanamo Bay detention facility was opened within the Guantanamo Naval Base in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Despite the fact that US President Barack Obama has repeatedly promised to close the Guantanamo detention facility, known for its alleged use of torture, this has not happened to date.