EU divided over taking in Guantanamo prisoners

Chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, the Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, said it would be up to each member state to decide whether or not it would help the Obama administration by taking in prisoners from Guantanamo prison. Although the EU has welcomed President Barack Obama’s decision to close the prison within a year, EU members are divided on whether they would be ready to accept former inmates. The Netherlands and Austria have said they are not ready to do so, citing tricky legal issues, while the German government is split on the issue. The Czech foreign minister said Prague would deal with the matter if and when it was asked by the US administration.