ALDE MEPs Welcome President Obama's order to close Guantanamo Bay

4.56.00pm GMT Thu 22nd Jan 2009

The European Parliament, along with international human rights organizations and UN special rapporteurs, has been calling for years on the US administration to close the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay and hold fair trials. The new President of the US, Barack Obama, has now issued executive orders to halt unfair military commissions and to close Guantanamo before the end of the year. Of the 250 remaining prisoners, it is expected that most will not face trial.

Sarah Ludford MEP (UK Lib Dem) member of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, committee, was European Parliament rapporteur on Guantanamo and vice-chair of its temporary committee on extraordinary rendition. She has argued tirelessly since the establishment of Guantanamo that the US administration should close this illegal prison. Following the executive order issued by Barack Obama on his first day in office, she joined with others in welcoming the decision:

"I pressed both the EU counter-terrorism coordinator and the Czech (EU Presidency) Interior Minister yesterday during their hearings in the EP civil liberties committee to secure urgent and decisive offers by EU countries to help the US administration close Guantanamo by giving residence to released detainees who cannot safely be returned to their home countries. EU foreign ministers next Monday must enable European justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot and Czech representatives when they shortly visit the US to deliver a message of serious assistance from the EU.

The EP will discuss during its plenary session in February an oral question that I have tabled on Guantanamo and CIA rendition flights which will be followed up by a resolution from political groups to establish the EP position on the issue of EU participation in the closure of Guantanamo. Both because the EU shares some moral responsibility for torture and rendition and because restoration of the rule of law is in our anti-terrorism interest, EU states cannot stand aside."