Swiss to consider hosting Guantanamo inmates

[sabra]

Source: TVNZ

Switzerland is ready to consider taking in detainees from the US prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba if that helps to shut it down, the Swiss government said.

"For Switzerland, the detention of people in Guantanamo is in conflict with international law. Switzerland is ready to consider how it can contribute to the solution of the Guantanamo problem," the government said in a statement.

Switzerland said it welcomed the expressed intention of US President Barack Obama to close the prison and would investigate security and legal implications of possibly taking in detainees. About 255 men are still held there.

Portugal has been pushing since December for European Union states to accept detainees, and has said it was ready to do so. EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue at their next meeting on January 26.

Read more: http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/swiss-consider-hosting-gua...

[Wickerman]

1. Big K&R!

[WriteDown]

2. Maybe they can become Swiss bankers?

[Soylent Brice]

4. aw SNAP

[polichick]

3. It sure does feel good to know the U.S. is part of the global community again!

[disndat]

5. Looks like the whole world is

anxious to help Obama to fix the Bush crimes to humanity which were done in such secrecy.

[bdamomma]

6. kick

[Jefferson23]

7. OMG, this is great news!

[GodlessBiker]

8. And hold them indefinitely without trial? Some in the world might consider...

this an abandonment of Swiss neutrality (to he extent it ever existed).

Simply moving people to another country without affording them a fair trial is not an improvement.

I'd like to see the conditions under which the Swiss might take these prisoners.

This is great news if the Swiss and other states would guarantee the prisoners a fair and public trial should they take custody of them.

[BlueMTexpat]

11. Perhaps I missed it in the article,

but I don't see where it says that Switzerland (or Portugal or France, the other countries mentioned) would hold them indefinitely without trial.

The point is that most in the world see these people as individuals who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, not criminals.

[GodlessBiker]

12. Yes, the article is not clear on that,

I am hopeful that these countries would give the prisoners a fair and public trial, should they agree to accept custody of them.

[jberryhill]

13. It's an offer of neutrality

The bind is the US attempting to do something objectively fair, when they have already been treated unfairly by the US.

It is an interesting offer.

[Wizard777]

9. A neutral country we can trust to abide the Geneva Convention in holding our POW's.

It sounds highly legal. It's a gracious offer that should be given serious consideration.

[4_TN_TITANS]

10. After what these men have suffered,

I know that I would want to be seen by them as the country that ended their nightmare at the hands of the U.S. If I were one of them, the rest of my life would be dedicated to giving the U.S. hell to pay.

[Piewhacket]

14. And (if you were they) How would you feel if...

those responsible for crimes and war crimes in the name of the US were
brought to the bar of justice.