Washington, Frebruary 23 (RHC)-- President Barack Obama urged lawmakers on Tuesday to give his plan to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a "fair hearing", seven years after he made an Oval Office vow to permanently shutter the prison for enemy combatants.

The plan, would identify 13 potential sites inside the United States to which detainees could be transferred, isn't expected to gain any traction among Republican lawmakers, who control both chambers of Congress.

Obama pledged to close the prison and move the detainees as a candidate for the White House in 2008. Lawmakers largely oppose moving the prisoners to the United States, however, and his final attempt to get congressional backing is unlikely to gain traction.

"Let us go ahead and close this chapter," Obama said in White House remarks. "I don't want to pass this problem on to the next president, whoever it is."