WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John McCain thinks President Barack Obama made a step in the right direction with an executive order on Thursday to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison where detainees accused of terrorism.

But, the Arizona Republican said, there are many issues left unanswered.

In a joint press statement from McCain and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the senators said, “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’s detainees.”

While McCain, who was the Republican presidential candidate against Obama in November, and Graham applauded Obama, retired Army Brig. Gen. Bud Strom, who lives in the Palominas area, said, “I think it’s a bad idea.”

Having said that, Strom, who was the commandant of the Intelligence Center and School on Fort Huachuca in the early 1980s, said he recognizes the existence of the complex at the U.S. Navy’s facility in Cuba has been controversial and has undermined America leadership in the world.

“It’s been a sore that’s been rubbed constantly,” he said, noting many nations in the world have questioned America’s stance on civil liberties and human rights.

Strom’s major concern is what will happen to the more than 200 detainees still being held, many of “whom are dangerous.”

That question must be answered, said Strom.

“That’s just an old cowboy’s opinion,” he said.

Jack Cohen-Joppa, a member of the Torture on Trial group in Tucson who has taken part in protests outside Fort Huachuca, said the signing of the executive order fulfills one of Obama’s campaign promises.

Torture on Trial claims torture is taught at the Intelligence Center, which has been vehemently denied by Army officials.

Cohen-Joppa said he believes the detainee center in Cuba needs to be closed quicker than the year that has been proposed.

As for the detainees who are terrorists, Cohen-Joppa said they should never have been tried through American military commissions. He said they need to be put through the U.S. civil judicial system or an international court.

McCain and Graham also expressed concerns over what will happen to the detainees.

“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,” according to senators’ statement.

Other issues McCain and Graham said that require clarification are the need for protecting the U.S. military’s role in processing detainees apprehended on battlefields and what kind of judicial process will replace the existing military commissions.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., had not made a statement as of 5 p.m. on Thursday. A spokesman for Kyl’s office said the senator planned to make a statement, noting the senator was busy during a Senate committee confirmation hearings for Obama’s Treasury secretary.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat whose 8th Congressional District includes Cochise County, did offer a reaction.

“I am pleased that one of President Obama’s first official acts was to order the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba be closed as soon as practicable,” Giffords said.

Giffords said she also supports the president’s “mandated compliance with the interrogation practices in the Army Field Manual that explicitly prohibit torture.

“Many of these humane and effective intelligence gathering techniques have been developed and are being taught here at Fort Huachuca.”

McCain and Graham’s statement ended: “We look forward to working with the president and his administration on these issues, keeping in mind that the first priority of the U.S. government is to guarantee the security of the American people.”