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EU Urges US Government to Close Guantanamo Prison
Associated Press
May 31, 2006
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik urged the U.S. Wednesday to close a prison for terrorist suspects at GuantanamoBay as soon as possible.
Plassnik, speaking on behalf of the European Union, told the European Parliament the U.S. naval base in Cuba is seen as a "cause for genuine concern" by E.U. member states, and called the prison an "anomaly."
"The U.S. government must take the measures to close the camp as soon as possible," said Plassnik, whose country holds the six-month rotating E.U. presidency.
Most political groups in the E.U. Parliament backed Plassnik's call for Guantanamo to close. Earlier this year, the assembly passed a resolution calling for every prisoner at the detention center to be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and stand trial without delay by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal.
The U.S. holds about 460 men at the isolated U.S. naval base in Cuba on suspicion of links to al-Qaida or the Taliban. Ten of the prisoners have been charged.
European leaders have been harshly critical of documented abuses at Guantanamo, and human rights groups including Amnesty International also have called for the closure of the facility.
The issue is likely come up when U.S. President George W. Bush visits Vienna on June 21 for an E.U.-U.S. summit.
"The fight against terrorism must be waged in respect of human rights and humanitarian standards must be respected. We must make sure that we do not challenge the rule of law," Plassnik said, adding that while a tough response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. was necessary, "the measure taken sometimes have not been compatible with our values."
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