CAMP DAVID, June 9: US President George Bush said on Friday that he hoped to ‘empty’ the US-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by sending some detainees home and trying the most dangerous in US courts.

Mr Bush said he understood concerns about the facility raised by visiting Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and told reporters: “I assured him that we would like to end the Guantanamo; we’d like it to be empty.”

“We’re now in the process of working with countries to repatriate people, but there are some that — if put out on the streets — could create grave harm to American citizens and other citizens of the world,” said Mr Bush.

“And therefore I believe they ought to be tried in courts here in the United States,” the president said during a joint public appearance here with his guest.

“We will file such court claims once the (US) Supreme Court makes its decision as to whether or not — as to the proper venue for these trials. And we’re waiting on our Supreme Court to act,” said Mr Bush.

Currently about 460 prisoners are being held at the military-run prison at Guantanamo, the site of a US naval base on the south-eastern tip of Cuba.

Only 10 have been formally charged, and none has gone on trial.

PENTAGON DENIAL: The US military on Thursday flatly denied accusations by detainees at Guantanamo Bay that US soldiers had desecrated copies of the holy Quran.

Officials announced earlier that prisoners and guards clashed on May 18 in an incident they described as ‘staged’.—AFP