Washington  - US President Barack Obama on his first day in office ordered the suspension of prosecutions at the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for 120 days, news reports said Wednesday.

The order, one of Obama's first acts after taking office Tuesday, was given orally by Defence Secretary Robert Gates to the Guantanamo prosecutors' office.

The Washington Post, citing a motion filed at the US Navy base, said the order delaying proceedings until May 20, would allow Obama's administration to review the legal processes at the prison camp and the cases pending there.

Obama had been expected as early as this week to order the closure of the detention centre for terrorist suspects and begin exploring ways to deal with the 250 detainees who remain at the camp. Most of the remaining detainees have been held for years without charges, tarnishing the United States' standing in the world.

Obama had cautioned, however, that an actual closure could take months or as long as a year. (dpa)