MIAMI (AP) The two envoys appointed by President Barack Obama to lead the effort to close the Guantanamo Bay prison have made their first joint visit to the U.S. base in Cuba.
Defense Department Special Envoy for Detainee Affairs Paul Lewis and State Department Special Envoy Clifford Sloan were named to their posts earlier this year as part of Obama's renewed effort to close the prison.
Lewis says in a statement that he and Sloan met with troops at Guantanamo. He says the troops are doing their jobs "admirably in extremely difficult circumstances."
The one-day visit was Monday.
Lewis and Sloan are trying to find ways to resume prisoner transfers amid restrictions imposed by Congress. The U.S. holds 164 men for suspected involvement with terrorism or links to the Taliban.