Italy agrees to take three Guantanamo detainees
Italy has agreed to take a number of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp
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Tuesday, 16, Jun 2009 12:02
Italy has agreed to take a number of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
US president Barack Obama announced the decision after hosting talks with Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in Washington on Monday.
Mr Obama has ordered the camp to be closed by early next year but has so far faced stiff opposition to the idea of relocating some of the inmates on US soil.
Speaking in the White House yesterday, Mr Obama confirmed the deal with Italy.
"I thanked the prime minister for his support of our policy of closing Guantanamo," he said.
"This is not just talk. Italy has agreed to accept three specific detainees, and has also been part of the leadership in Europe that today announced a framework in which European nations can accept detainees.
"And that was something that I was very appreciative of. It will give us an opportunity to create a lasting and durable international legal framework for dealing with terrorism that I think is very important on both sides of the Atlantic."
Over 200 detainees remain on Cuba in the prison camp, although nine were relocated from Saudi Arabia, Bermuda, Iraq and Chad last week.