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[Expresso, Portugal]
Le Monde, France
U.S. May Promise Europe 'No More Guantanamos'
"The states of the European Union are close to an internal agreement on taking in former Guantanamo detainees. But
Brussels told the Obama Administration that only detainees that have been
completely exonerated by the American justice system would be admitted onto
Union territory … Some European countries would also like Washington to sign a
joint declaration stipulating that the fight against terrorism must respect
fundamental human rights, that there will never be another Guantanamo and that
the agreements banning torture will, from now on, be respected."
By Jean-Pierre Stroobants
Translated By Alexandra Griffiths
May 29, 2009
France - Le Monde - Original Article (French)
European office, Brussels:
The states of the European Union are close to an internal agreement on taking
in former Guantanamo detainees. They are also negotiating with American
authorities on possible - indirect - financial compensation for innocent
prisoners who wish to settle in a European country.
On Thursday June 4 in
Luxembourg, E.U. interior ministers will formalize the first draft. After
lengthy negotiations, the E.U. Twenty-Seven have overcome most of their
divisions. France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium and
Lithuania said they are, at this stage, ready to accept former prisoners from
Guantanamo to help the Obama Administration shut down the camp by January 2010.
The members of the E.U., but also some non-member states that make up part of the
Schengen
area (Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland), have made provisions
for a comprehensive mechanism for exchanging information on the ex-detainees.
The information will concern the period prior to their arrival and their stay (Who
are they. Where should they be settled. What limits should be imposed on
them?).
Austria, however, is
demanding a text requiring states that welcome the former detainees to limit
their movements. This point is fraught with legal obstacles that could be overcome
with negotiations with lawyers of the people concerned. And in any case, it's
likely that the host countries will discretely monitor all concerned.
To shorten the discussions,
the Twenty-Seven have endorsed the idea that each state would decide
individually on the legal status to be given those taken in (refugee, temporary
resident permit, etc).
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The other aspect of the
negotiation concerns the relationship with the United States. Brussels told the
Obama Administration that only detainees that have been completely exonerated
by the American justice system would be admitted onto Union territory, that is,
40 to 50 prisoners out of a total of 250.
Europeans are also asking the
Americans to accept former detainees onto their own territory. “The (American)
officials negotiating with us seem to agree, but the domestic political problem
remains,” said one E.U. diplomat.
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Le Quotidien d'Oran, Algeria:
Obama Should Know Better: Supermax as Bad as Guantanamo
Die Zeit, Germany:
Germany Must Refuse U.S. on Guantanamo Prisoners
Liberation, France:
How Brave Americans Were Turned Into Torturers
NRC Handlesblad, The Netherlands:
Torture Has No Place in 'Shining City on a Hill'
Le Temps, Switzerland:
Doing Evil in the Name of the Good
Izvestia, Russia:
U.S. and Torture: For Mr. Obama, It's 'Hard to Be Gorby'
Publico, Spain:
Torture Charges Filed Against Bush Legal Team; Judge Garzon Handles Case
Hurriyet, Turkey:
Dick Cheney's Torture Logic is 'Deeply Offensive'
Die Tageszeitung, Germany:
America and Torture: 'Just Following Orders'
Financial Times Deutschland, Germany:
Obama: Inviting the Next Torture Scandal
Jornal de Noticias, Portugal:
Poverty and Torture: Bush Has Company in Europe
Le Monde, France:
'Fussy' Rights Groups 'Wrong' to Be Impatient with Obama
Le Figaro, France:
Obama's Moral Crusade: A Few Words of Caution
The Independent, U.K.:
America Doesn't Need a Witch-Hunt
BBC News, U.K.:
U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Calls CIA Exemption 'Illegal'
Ottawa Citizen, Canada:
Torture the 'Chicago Way'
Toronto Star, Canada:
Winking at CIA Abuse
However, a third obstacle seems
to have been lifted. Washington would not agree to compensate the exonerated former
prisoners, but the European states who are prepared to take them in, in the
form of a financial contribution for the transport, settlement and health costs
of those concerned.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Finally, some European
countries would like Washington to sign a joint declaration that would have a
highly symbolic value. It stipulates that the fight against terrorism must
respect fundamental human rights, that there will never be another Guantanamo
and that the agreements banning torture will, from now on, be respected.
Europeans in favor of such a document
believe that this moral commitment would make it easier for Washington to
convince Canada, and Australia in particular, to accept former detainees as
well.
CLICK HERE FOR FRENCH VERSION
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US June 2, 3:19am]
