Two British citizens being held at Guantamo Bay and facing military tribunals received assurances from the Bush Administration today that they will not face the death penalty.

The agreement was announced by Lord Goldsmith, Britain's Attorney General.

Goldsmith also reported "significant progress" in other areas, saying in a statement that U.S. officials had agreed to allow the British defendants to choose their own U.S. civilian lawyers, use British lawyers as consultants and speak confidentially with their attorneys. More contact with families and immediate visits by British officials were also promised, as were public trials, he said.

While this sounds like a good beginning to us, the lawyers and families of the two Britons complain that the agreement doesn't go far enough:

Louise Christian, a British lawyer representing Abbasi's mother, said: "It's no good. It's still a military commission. It's still a trial in front of people who are not independent of the U.S. government." She pointed out that British lawyers acting as "consultants" would not necessarily be able to see their clients or even the evidence firsthand.