EU: US must close Guantanamo

2006-05-28 22:11

Vienna - The European Union is pressing the United States to close its detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where alleged "terrorists" have been held and sometimes abused, reported an Austrian news agency on Sunday.

After a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Vienna, Danish foreign minister Per Stig Moeller said the envoys agreed "that the US must take steps as quickly as possible to close the prison".

Sweden's foreign minister, Jan Eliasson, said abuses at Guantanamo were a "continuing cause for concern".

The issue is likely to come up when US President George W Bush visits Vienna for an EU-US summit on June 21.

The US began taking prisoners to the military base in January, 2002.

European leaders have been harshly critical of documented abuses at Guantanamo, and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called for the closure of the facility.

- AP