US president’s decision to close Guantanamo welcomed

The Czech presidency of the European Union has praised a decision by US President Barack Obama to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp within a year. On Thursday the new US president also banned torture in addition to his decision on the prison, a move seen as strong repudiation of the anti-terror policies of Mr Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush. In a statement, the Czech EU presidency expressed the hope that the move would strengthen transatlantic cooperation on security and counter-terrorism based on “the respect of international law and human rights”.