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US AG to ask European countries to accept Guantanamo detainees within weeks

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

[JURIST] US Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the US has cleared 30 Guantanamo Bay detainees for release and will begin formally requesting that European countries accept them within weeks. During a European tour, Holder told reporters in Germany that no formal requests have been made, but that he has been encouraged by the generally positive responses he has received thus far. Holder met with several European officials Tuesday for preliminary talks on accepting detainees. European leaders reiterated their request for full background information on any detainee they were asked to accept. Earlier this week, Holder met with UK Justice Minister Jack Straw, who said that his country would still be willing to consider a US request to take in Guantanamo Bay detainees if doing so would aid in the closure of the facility. Earlier this month, France agreed to accept one Guantanamo detainee. Last month, top officials from the Obama administration met with leaders from the European Union (EU) to discuss preliminary plans to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to European countries. Individual member states have also indicated their openness to accepting detainees, including Lithuania, Ireland, Germany, and Portugal. Other states have expressed reservations about accepting detainees, including Poland and Spain, while Italy and the Netherlands have said they will not accept detainees.VOTE FOR JURIST JURIST is nominated for a 2009 Webby Award as best Law website. Please vote for us here!

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 29, 2009 (boomark / email).