国际英语新闻：U.S. judge defies Obama's request to delay Guantanamo trial

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. military judge has refused President Barack Obama's request to delay the trial of a detainee at the Guantanamo prison, the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday.

    By refusing to delay the court proceedings of the case of Abu al-Nashiri, the accused planner of the 2000 USS Cole warship attack in Yemen, Judge James Pohl's ruling throws a wrench in Obama's decision last week to suspend the military tribunal process for 120 days at the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

    But Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters that Pohl would soon be told to comply with Obama's executive order.

    "All I can really tell you is that this department will be in full compliance with the president's executive order," Morrell said at a news briefing.

    White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that he doesn't think Pohl's decision will impact the administration's evaluation of the Guantanamo prison, adding that he believes all other trials there have been stalled.

    He also said the White House is coordinating with the Pentagon and the Department of Justice on how to deal with the issue.

    In a high-profile act, Obama issued an executive order hours after his swearing-in on Jan. 20, requesting the military tribunalat Guantanamo to suspend all trials for 120 days so that the new administration could work out a plan to close the prison and reform the current detention and trial system of terrorist suspects created by the former Bush administration.

    But Pohl defied the order, saying judges at Guantanamo have the full authority to decide whether to suspend a trial according to a law passed during former president George W. Bush's tenure.