Brussels, 17/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - Italy has agreed to take in three former inmates of Guantanamo prison, announced US President Barack Obama on Monday 15 June after his meeting at the White House with the president of the Italian Council, Silvio Berlusconi. “I have thanked the president of the Council for his support for our policy to close Guantanamo”, Obama told the press after the meeting. “These are not just words. Italy has agreed to take in three detainees already identified”, he added. The Spanish government is willing to take between three and five detainees from the prison camp in Guantanamo, the daily El Pais reported. The prisoners in question are of Syrian and Tunisian nationality who have asked to be transferred to Spain, according to the daily, which cites government sources. Daniel Fried, who represents the US State Department, was in the Spanish capital on Wednesday to present a list of potentially transferable prisoners to the Spanish authorities. The Spanish government hopes above all to discuss the future financing for setting up the former inmates. Shortly after his investiture, Barack Obama had announced his decision to close, by 22 January 2010, the Guantanamo military prison established in the name of “counter-terrorism” by his predecessor, George. W. Bush. Since this announcement, the new president has been seeking to convince his allies, in particular European, to take in the inmates. On Monday 15 June, the EU confirmed it was willing to help Washington close Guantanamo, calling on member states that so wished to take former inmates, now acquitted, onto their territory (EUROPE 9921). A security mechanism for information-sharing has even been set up between the EU27 so that member states can be briefed in real time of decisions taken by each of them on the subject of possibly hosting former prisoners. A month ago, France took in one Algerian, who had been held for over seven years at the US base in Cuba and against whom no charge was finally brought. In the past, the United Kingdom had taken 14 detainees, France 7, Belgium 2 and Germany 1. Today, however, the member states are reluctant to give further assistance of this kind to the United States. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, therefore issued a communiqué on Monday evening in which he urges European capitals to act. “While closing the detention facility is primarily the responsibility of the US, I believe that the EU can and must help the US Administration in successfully completing this difficult task”, he said. The director general for DG Justice, Freedom and Security at the European Commission, Jonathan Faull, pointed out that it was up to individual EU countries to decide their policy but that it was out of the question for any EU government to veto the national decisions of another state wishing to take Guantanamo prisoners. “We are talking about people in principle cleared for release under the US system, and against whom no prosecution is planned”, he added. Several countries - like the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Austria - consider however that the United States should, itself, take these prisoners in. “We expect the US to take its responsibilities seriously and we have every confidence that the US will share all the information: it is in Washington's interests to do so because only then will EU countries be prepared to take in the people concerned”, Mr Faull pointed out. He went on to suggest that Europe's willingness to help Washington close down Guantanamo was evidence of European commitment for the construction of a closer partnership with the United States in the field of justice and home affairs, based on respect of international law. The ball is now in the court of the member states that must show to what extent they stand united with their traditional ally. Time, however, is running short, as there are now only seven months left for the United States to close down the Guantanamo prison within the timeframe set. Last week, Obama accelerated the process of transferring detainees from the detention centre with the departure of ten of them towards the United States (including one Tanzanian national), Chad (1 Chadian national), Iraq (1 Iraqi), Saudi Arabia (3 Saudis) and the Bermudas (4 Uyghur Muslims). Palau, a small island of the Pacific off the Philippines is to take 13 Uyghurs. With Italy and Spain's recent announcements - subject to confirmation from Madrid - 210 detainees will be left in the US military camp on the island of Cuba. (B.C./transl.jl)