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Guantanamo Bay - Source: ONE News -
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Switzerland is ready to consider taking in detainees from the US
prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba if that
helps to shut it down, the Swiss government said.
"For Switzerland, the detention of people in Guantanamo is in
conflict with international law. Switzerland is ready to consider
how it can contribute to the solution of the Guantanamo problem,"
the government said in a statement.
Switzerland said it welcomed the expressed intention of US
President Barack Obama to close the prison and would investigate
security and legal implications of possibly taking in
detainees.
Hours after taking office on Wednesday, Obama ordered military
prosecutors in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals to ask for a
120-day halt in all pending cases.
The camp is widely seen as a stain on the United States' human
rights record under the administration of George W. Bush.
European governments, which for years have called for the camp to
be closed, are under pressure to help find a home for around 245
remaining detainees. The camp has held more than 750 captives since
opening in 2002, most without trial.
Under Bush, Washington tried in vain to persuade its allies, in
particular in the 27-nation European Union, to take in inmates who
cannot go back to their home country and who the United States does
not want to accept either.
Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, has historically
attracted refugees from trouble spots around the world and is home
to international humanitarian organisations like the Red Cross and
UN refugee agency.
But its reputation for tolerance has been threatened by the rise of
the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), and its campaigns
against immigration. The SVP condemned the government overture as
giving "free rein for terrorists".
Portugal was the first EU state to say it would accept detainees
and France has said it is ready to do so as well, but others are
less enthusiastic. EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue at a
meeting on January 26.
EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot welcomed on Wednesday
Obama's plans to freeze military trials at Guantanamo.
"I am delighted that one of the first actions of President Obama
was to turn the page on this sad episode of Guantanamo prison," he
said in a statement. "For me, this is very symbolic. In a lawful
state, everybody should enjoy the right to defence."
