The US is determined to close down the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention centre and the administration is looking into various decisions that can be taken in this regard, the White House said.

Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Wednesday that there are a number of things that the Obama Administration can do in this regard, addning that President Barack Obama is determined to see closure of the detention centre.

The Congress, however, is against the closure and is opposing any move in this regard.

“One of the options available to us that we’re examining is reappointing a senior official at the State Department to renew our focus on repatriating or transferring detainees that we determine can be returned to their home countries or third countries,” Carney said.

“We will also work to fully implement the periodic review board process which has not moved forward quickly enough, and we will continue to work to get that implemented so that it is up and standing,” he said.

The White House official said there are obstacles being thrown up by Congress, including their refusal to provide the funding that would allow transferring detainees to incarceration facilities in the US.

Carney said there is a moratorium on the transfer of Yemeni detainees to Yemen. Roughly 50 per cent of detainees still at Guantanamo are Yemeni.

Carney said Obama is determined to see the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility closed.

“Unfortunately, Congress has thrown up obstacles to the achievement of that goal. And that has made it, to date, impossible to close that facility. We have made progress in moving detainees to third countries. We are continuing to evaluate detainees and look at ways to continue that process going forward,” Carney said.