FACTBOX-Reaction to Obama order to close Guantanamo prison

Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has signed executive orders closing the Guantanamo military prison for foreign terrorism suspects within a year and halting the harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects.

"The orders that I signed today should send an unmistakable signal that our actions in defence of liberty will be as just as our cause and that we, the people, will uphold our fundamental values as vigilantly as we protect our security," Obama said on Thursday.

Here is some reaction to the orders:

AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI

"This good decision of the United States government will help find support among the international community for the fight against terrorism and include all nations in this fight."

OUTGOING CIA CHIEF MICHAEL HAYDEN IN MESSAGE TO EMPLOYEES

"When our government changes its law or policy, we will follow that direction without exception, carve-out, or loophole."

"Our Agency has many counter-terror tools in its arsenal. The rendition, detention and interrogation programme has been an important one."

REPUBLICAN SENATORS JOHN MCCAIN AND LINDSEY GRAHAM IN JOINT STATEMENT

"We support President Obama's decision to close the prison at Guantanamo, reaffirm America's adherence to the Geneva Conventions, and begin a process that will, we hope, lead to the resolution of all cases of Guantanamo detainees."

"Numerous difficult issues remain. Present at Guantanamo are a number of detainees who have been cleared for release but have found no foreign country willing to accept them. Other detainees have been deemed too dangerous for release, but the sensitive nature of the evidence makes prosecution difficult."

"Also unresolved is the type of judicial process that would replace the military commissions. We believe the military commissions should have been allowed to continue their work."

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES

"One of the things that has come with the new president, as we have heard publicly from some of the European countries, is that they were willing to consider taking these (prisoners) ... We've not heard from those people before."

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY GENERAL IRENE KHAN

"Speed and specifics are now of the essence -- the trial or release of these 240-plus detainee cases is already years overdue."

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JOHN BOEHNER, AN OHIO REPUBLICAN

"The real fear is what do you do with these terrorists and if you make it clear you are going to close Guantanamo and you don't have a policy in place to deal with those who are housed there, what do you do? ... I'm concerned that some of these let go too soon could end up back on the battlefield."

MULLAH ABDUL SALAM ZAEEF, FORMER TALIBAN AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN WHO SPENT MORE THAN 3 YEARS JAILED AT GUANTANAMO

"He is closing it in order to put an end to the criticism from human rights groups and also to get rid of the bad image it created for the Americans."

"But he needs to restore justice for prisoners who were persecuted there during investigations. There were innocent people imprisoned there. He needs to put on trial those who were involved in the persecution of inmates." (Compiled by Deborah Charles in WASHINGTON and Jon Hemming in KABUL; Editing by Jerry Norton)