Palau deal close for Uygur detainees

KOROR, Palau: Some Chinese Muslims still detained at Guantanamo Bay have overcome reservations about being sent to the remote Pacific nation of Palau, and a final deal on their relocation was close, a lawyer for two of them said yesterday.

The Uygur detainees met with US State Department officials on Monday and told the diplomats they are now willing to move to Palau, said lawyer George Clarke, who took part in the talks.

Clarke said that "more than four and less than all" of the 13 Uygurs had agreed to go. Once a deal is struck, it is expected to take weeks to organize the Uygurs' transfer.