Brussels, 30/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - US Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday 29 April in Berlin that the United States and Europe should “make sacrifices” and be ready to take “unpopular decisions” to bring about the closure of the Guantanamo prison. “I know that Europe did not open Guantanamo, and that in fact a great many on this continent opposed it”, he said the day after a meeting with EU representatives in Prague. “It is now time to turn the page”, he said to Europeans, saying that it is up to everyone to agree on new solutions “without bitterness and without the rhetoric that has divided us in the past”. The United States works bilaterally with many countries including EU member states so that they will host a large group of Guantanamo inmates that the federal justice or the Pentagon have declared able to be released but who cannot return to their home countries for fear of persecution there. At present, about 30 Guantanamo detainees are in this case, Holder says. However, other detainees may be found to be in the same case as reviews on their individual dossiers are completed. The attorney general has now said that the United States would put official requests to the different countries in coming weeks. With just nine months to go before the Guantanamo prison is closed, “the countdown has begun”, the American diplomat said. Although the United States is willing to take in a number of the detainees ready for release, the EU is seeking to establish a cooperation framework in order to encourage member states to do the same. “We trust this will bring results in 6 to 8 weeks' time even though it is up to Europeans to fix their own timetable”, the same diplomatic source said. For now, only France has confirmed it is willing to take in a Guantanamo inmate, probably an Algerian. (B.C./transl.jl)