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WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department official responsible for diplomatic efforts to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees is returning to his law firm.
Secretary of State John Kerry says Clifford Sloan is finishing the 18 months he signed on for the job. Kerry says in a statement Monday that Stone's "skillful negotiating" led to the transfer of 34 detainees during that time, with more on the way.
Sloan was appointed in June 2013, shortly after Obama announced a renewed push to close Guantanamo and said special envoys at the State and Defense Departments would oversee the effort. Kerry also credited Sloan with helping convince lawmakers to loosen restrictions on transferring detainees overseas.
Congress still bars transfers into the U.S. Sloan's replacement will be responsible for trying to find other countries willing to take them.
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