The images of shackled al-Qaeda and Taleban prisoners seen through wire netting at Guantanamo that so incensed human rights groups would appear to have become a thing of the past.

Scene like this at X-Ray will become a thing of the past

Camp Delta, the new US permanent facility at the naval base on Cuba, promises to make the current 300 suspects less visible to the outside world than they were at the makeshift Camp X-Ray.

The inmates' new cells have solid walls, and they will only be seen from the cells immediately opposite.

Meanwhile the installation of conveniences in the cells means the prisoners will probably have less need to leave them.

Communication difficult

Camp Delta was built to house 408 detainees but could be expanded to hold 2,000 as the US continues its war on terror.

Change of regime

New cells have metal beds, foam mattresses, flushing toilets and sinks with running water The new cells are smaller than those at X-Ray which were 1.8m wide and 2.4m long New cells have solid walls - X-Ray's were made of wire mesh

Another 204 cells are due to be finished at the end of May.

The facility has exercises areas The cells are smaller than at Camp X-Ray, and are enclosed on three sides by walls - thus making it more difficult for the inmates to communicate with each other.

They have metal beds with foam blankets and sinks with running water.

The installation of flushing toilets is clearly an improvement on the buckets provided at Camp X-Ray. But it also reduces the risk to camp guards who previously had to escort some prisoners to portable toilets outside their cells.

Like X-Ray, Camp Delta is surrounded by fences topped by razor wire and ringed by wooden watchtowers.

But it has an additional barrier of green tarpaulin on the perimeter fences, which will block the inmates' view of the sea and prevent outsiders from looking in.

So far, journalists have not been able to stand closer than 180 metres (200 yards) from the camp and could only see the rooftops of the cells. At X-Ray they could see inside the cells.

"They won't be completely cut off from communication, but they are going to have to be more creative to communicate," said Marine Captain Riccoh Player.

Camp Delta, built at a cost of $26m, is equipped with its own interrogation centre.