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EU leaders discuss Guantanamo detainee transfer details with US officials

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Top officials from the Obama administration met with leaders from the European Union (EU) Monday to discuss plans to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to European countries. US Attorney General Eric Holder met with the delegation headed by European Justice and Security Commissioner Jacques Barrot and Czech Interior Minister Ivan Langer to encourage the EU's cooperation in closing the Guantanamo Bay facility by the end of the year. The US officials assured the EU that the US will provide background information pertaining to each prisoner to allow European countries to decide whether to accept them. EU members had previously expressed concern over accepting detainees without first examining potential safety and security implications. The US is seeking European cooperation because of potential legal issues associated with keeping Guantanamo Bay detainees on US soil after the facility closes. The leaders remained in Washington Tuesday to continue discussions. Last month, the European Parliament encouraged EU member nations to accept former Guantanamo prisoners soon after President Obama ordered the closure of the detention center in February. Spain, Ireland, and Portugal have already expressed their willingness to host detainees. Other EU members, including Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, have expressed strong reservations to doing so.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 17, 2009 (boomark / email).