Gitmo prison camp 'a psychological scar' on national values, says US Joint Chiefs chairman

The US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman has said that the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention center is a psychological scar on the United States.

Gen. Martin Dempsey said the facility at the US Navy base in Cuba "does create a psychological scar on its national values," CBS News reported.

After taking office in 2009, US President Barack Obama had vowed to shut down the prison camp. Since then, numerous Guantanamo detainees have been transferred or returned to their countries.

Dempsey said there were "dozens" who still must be detained, adding that it was a policy decision for elected officials.

The Congress has reportedly disallowed the transfer of any Gitmo detainees to the US.

A small team of lawyers and diplomats at the US State Department have been assigned the task to urge other countries to accept detainees cleared for release.

However, the task is not an easy one- considering the fact that the team has to convince the other countries of doing something that the Obama administration is itself not ready for.