The White House is rejecting a call by Cuba to return all of Guantánamo Bay a day after Cuban President Raúl Castro said restoring Havana’s control of the bay is a prerequisite for normalizing ties with the United States, which has controlled the area of Cuba since 1903. The area contains the notorious U.S. prison, as well as a large naval base. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was questioned about the future of Guantánamo.

Reporter: “Is it the president’s intention, when he finally does close the Guantánamo facility, to give back the actual territory to Cuba?”

Josh Earnest: “No.”

Reporter: “No. He wants to hang on to Guantánamo, even after he empties the prison?”

Earnest: “Yeah, the president does believe that the prison at Guantánamo Bay should be closed down. … But the naval base is not something that we believe should be closed.”