Foreign & Commonwealth ~ December 2015 Office Crispin Blunt MP King Charles Street Chair SW1A 2AH Foreign Affairs Committee Secretary c:,f State House ofCommons London SWl.AoAA

\jl~~~f~~' ( Following your letter of22 October on the case ofMr Shaker Aamer, I replied on 10 November that I would ask officials to look into what could reasonably be drawn together in terms ofa chronology ofthe UK Government's efforts to secure Mr Aamers release from Guantanamo Bay. They have now confirmed that it will not be possible to provide a complete and definitive account ofthe regular interventions over many years by Ministers and senior officials, except at disproportionate cost. The follmving therefore represents an overview of these efforts, which I hope wiTI be ofassistance to your Committee.

You should be aware that, as well as the discussions at ministerial level outlined below, throughout.his detention Mr Aamer's case was regularly raised with the US by successive UK Ambassadors to Washington. Officials at our Embassy ensured that Mr Aamer's case ·was raised at meetings wherever appropriate, and in many conversations at official level over the years.

As you know, Mr Aamer was first detainedin Guantanamo Bay in February 2002. Prior to 2007 some representations were made on a humanitarian basis to the US about Mr Aamer, but it was not untilAugust ofthat year that the then Foreign Secreta1y, , '1\rrote to his US counterpart to make a formal request for Mr Aamer's release and return to the UK. This request was made on an exceptional basis, alongside a request for the return offour other Guantanamo detainees, all of whom were former legal residents in the UK.

In December ofthe same year Mr Miliband informed the House that, despite detailed and constructive discussions that had led to agreement to release three ofthe men, the US Government had significant securityconcerns in Mr Aamer's case and had declined the request for hisreturn. Therefore the UK Government was no longer in active discussions about his transfer to the UK, although the request remained open shouldthe US position change.

Despite raising Mr Aamets case on a number ofoccasions during 2008 the US position remained unchanged until after the inauguration ofPresident Obama at the beginning of2009. On 22 January 2009 the President signed executive orders to close Guantanamo Bay. During talks ,vith US Secretary of State on 3 February 2009, the Mr Miliband again reiterated our determination to secure Mr Aamer's release, as well as that ofthe other remaining former UK resident . Mr Mohamed was released at the end ofFebruary 2009. Throughout that year and the first half of2010, representatives ofthe UK Government continued to reiterate our request for Mr Aamer's return.

Follm,ving the general election in May 2010, my predecessor vvrote to Hillary Clinton, proposing expert level talks, which Mrs Clinton welcomed. These talks took place in September and November 2010, reinforced by the intervention of the then Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, who raised Mr Aamer's case with M·rs Clinton in December.

The UK Government continued to press for MrAamer's release throughout 2011 and 2012, both at official and senior level, with repeated interventions from the Foreign Secretary and the National Security Adviser, as well as from me in my previous role as Defence Secretary. There was a further round of senior officials'talks in London in September 2012.

During the first part of 2013 the Foreign Secretary (Mr Hague) the FCO Minister covering counter-terrorism and I (again in my capacity as Defence Secretary), all raised Mr Aamer's case in meetings ·with our US counterparts. On 17June the Prime Minister discussed the case with President Obama whilst at the GS summit, and subsequently wrote to Mr Obama on 26 June underlining importance the UK Government placed on securing Mr Aamer's release. The US agreed to expert level talks. In September 2013 the Deputy Prime Minister raised the case with Vice President Joe Biden, and the talks took place in Washington in October. Representatives ofthe Foreign and Commonwealth Office continued to raise Mr Aamer's case at every appropriate opportunity through 2014, including interventions by Mr Hague with the US Secretary of State. After moving to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, I myself raised it with Mr Kerry during our meeting in October 20i4, and also discussed Mr Aamer ,Nith the US Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Matthew Barzun, in December 2014.

As you know, after the Prime Minister's meeting with President Oba.ma on 16 January 2015 the President committed publicly to prioritising Mr Aamers case for review. Following this, we raised Mr Aamer's case at every appropriate opportunity and at the highest levels, including interventions by the Prime Minister and myself, as well as other Ministers. This culminated in Mr Aame11s release.from Guantanatno Bay on 29 October.

THE RT HON PHIL HAMMOND MP