Berlin: Germany will take in two Guantanamo
detainees, a minister said on Wednesday, in a modest victory for US
President Barack Obama in his bid to win allies` help to close
the prison.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Chancellor
Angela Merkel`s administration and state governments, whose
cooperation was needed in settling the men from the US prison
in Cuba, had resolved lingering security concerns.
The decision follows months of deliberation.
US authorities cleared the Palestinian and Syrian
detainees for release after nine years in detention without
charge and de Maiziere said he was confident they posed no
threat.
The minister said Berlin sought to back Obama in his
drive to shut Guantanamo as soon as possible.
"The German government repeatedly criticised the
establishment of this detention camp and that is why we are
interested in helping to close it," he told a news conference.
One detainee would be sent to the northern port city of
Hamburg and the other to the southwestern region
Rhineland-Palatinate.
US President Barack Obama pledged to shut down the
disputed US military prison in southeastern Cuba by January
after it became a symbol for excesses in the "war on terror"
under former president George W Bush.
Washington has asked allies to help resettle prisoners
who have been cleared of all charges but cannot return home,
often over fears they may be tortured. But many countries`
reluctance has been a key obstacle in closing the site.
PTI
