BEIJING, Mar. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The Pentagon is planning to transfer hundeds of detainees to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Yemen as part of its effort to cut by more than half the population in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, The New York Times reported, citing senior administration officials.

    U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld last month called for broader interagency support for the plan that is set to start with a significant transfer of prisoners to Afghanistan, the officials said.

    Potential opposition to the plan comes from the State department and the C.I.A. as well as Justice Departments out of  concerns over American security and treatment of the prisoners.

    There are about 540 detainees in Guantanamo. The Pentagon proposes to release some outright and transfer others for continued detention in foreign countries.

    U.S. court decisions and shifts in public opinion have raised legal and political questions about the use of the Guantanamo facility. Prisoners there could challenge their detentions in federal courts under a Supreme Court ruling issued last June. In August, the Geneva Conventions was ruled to apply to Guantanamo detainees. Enditem

(Agencies)