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Apr 28, 2009 4:40 pm US/Central
Official: Some Gitmo Detainees Will Come To Europe
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WASHINGTON (CBS) ―
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Attorney General Eric Holder is seen in this April 17, 2009.
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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asked European officials Tuesday to accept some freed Guantanamo Bay detainees, and one justice minister at the meeting predicted he'll get his wish.
Meeting with a number of European officials to update extradition and legal cooperation treaties, Holder asked for their help in closing the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"We had a very frank conversation," Holder said, adding later: "No promises were made."
Currently, about 240 inmates are still held at Guantanamo. As many as 60 may not be able to be sent back to their native countries because of concerns they could be mistreated.
When it comes to the prospect of having former international terror suspects living free in society, the Obama administration is trying to overcome "not in my backyard" sentiment that exists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ivan Langer, the Czech Minister of Interior, told The Associated Press he believes some European nations will accept Guantanamo detainees, but not his country.
"Yes, I expect Europe will take some, and there is a strong will to do so among some countries," said Langer, who opposes such detainees coming to his country.
"We won't accept anybody, because there is very low chance of integration of such people" in the Czech Republic, Langer said.
He added that it is critical for U.S. authorities to share "maximum information" on the detainees' cases, so European Union officials know exactly who they are accepting into their countries.
Austria recently argued that the U.S. should take freed detainees before asking any other country to do so.
Holder is halfway through a three-city European tour, meeting with his law enforcement counterparts on issues ranging from Guantanamo to organized crime to child pornography.
The administration maintains some number of the remaining Guantanamo detainees can safely be set free, and hopes to place some of them in Europe.
"We need to find places for these people to go, and we have asked for assistance from our partners in the E.U. in that regard," Holder said at a news conference after the meeting.
European leaders at the meeting replied that the U.S. must provide much more detail about the backgrounds of the detainees.
"What we are asking for is sharing maximum information," said Langer.
Langer said the European officials are also determined to find a coordinated approach among themselves.
"No one can say: 'You cannot take people,' or 'You have to take people'," the minister said.
A day earlier, Holder met with British officials who signaled a willingness to consider any request they take Guantanamo detainees.
Several European nations, including Portugal and Lithuania, have said they will consider taking such detainees. Some nations, such as Germany, are divided on the issue.
On Wednesday, Holder plans to give a speech in Berlin about the U.S. goal to close the detention facility in nine months.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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