U.S. in talks with Palau on Uighur detainees

By Elise Labott
CNN State Department Producer
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Obama administration is in talks with the South Pacific island nation of Palau to relocate some or all of 17 Uighurs - native Chinese Muslims - being held at Guantanamo Bay, senior administration officials told CNN Tuesday.

Last week, Daniel Fried, the Obama administration's special envoy to oversee the closure of Guantanamo, visited Palau and Australia as part of a tour of the Pacific region. Although the State Department confirmed the visit, it offered no details.

Australia has previously rejected U.S. appeals to accept some of the Uighurs, but its foreign minister said last month it may reconsider its decision.

Officials said Fried, who has been negotiating with various countries to accept Guantanamo detainees as part of President Barack Obama's policy to close the facility, was discussing the relocation of the Uighurs with the Palauan government.