Obama meeting with terror victims' families

While he tries to sell Congress and the broader public on his economic recovery plan, President Obama sought to convince a more select group that he is right to change US terrorism policy.

He met privately this afternoon with some families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and of the assault on the USS Cole in 2000 that claimed the lives of 17 sailors.

Some of the victims' families have been critical of Obama's decision to close the terrorist detention center at the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In one of his first major actions as president, Obama announced sweeping changes in how the US will prosecute terrorists. A senior Pentagon judge has dropped charges against an al Qaeda suspect in the Cole attack, the last active Guantanamo war crimes case.

The White House is now reviewing the legal cases of all 245 suspects held at Guantanamo, deciding whether they should be prosecuted in the civilian courts or released to other nations.

UPDATE: In the private session, Obama told the families that closing Guantanamo will make America safer and help the country fight terrorism.

Here is the White House account:

"The President met for an hour with approximately 40 family members of the victims of the attacks of September 11th and the attack on the USS Cole. The President started the meeting by thanking those in attendance for serving as the nation’s conscience and continuing to speak out about these tragic events, and he told them that he wanted today’s meeting to be just the beginning of a dialogue.

"The President made it clear that his most important responsibility is to keep the American people safe. He explained why he believes that closing Guantanamo will make our nation safer and help ensure that those who are guilty receive swift and certain justice within a legal framework that is durable, and that helps America fight terrorism more effectively around the world.

"The President then spent the majority of his time engaging the families in a dialogue, answering questions from 16 different people in attendance. He told the families that his staff would ensure that there was an ongoing forum for dialogue. The questions reflected a broad range of views, and the discussion was highly substantive, detailed, and at times emotional."