Australia is considering a US request to re-settle inmates from the Guantanamo Bay military prison camp, but is unlikely to take any detainees, Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said today.
Gillard said Australia had been approached along with Britain to accept inmates to help US President-elect Barack Obama meet a promise to close the camp in a US enclave on Cuba.
About 255 men are still held at Guantanamo, including 60 the United States has cleared for release but cannot repatriate for fear they will be tortured or persecuted in their home countries.
The prison has come to symbolise aggressive interrogation practices that opened the United States up to allegations of torture.
The US State Department last week asked around 100 countries for help clearing the camp of detainees over a two-year period, the Australian newspaper reported.
"Australia, along with a number of other friends and allies of the United States, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay," Gillard said in a statement.
"This is a request from the Bush administration, and follows President Bush's statement that he would like to see Guantanamo closed. This is not a request from President Elect Obama."
Gillard said Australia was first approached by the Bush administration in early 2008 to resettle a small group of detainees from Guantanamo.
"After appropriate consideration, Australia declined to allow resettlement of that small group in Australia," she said.
The second request came in early December 2008.
"Notwithstanding that it is unlikely Australia would accept these detainees, given the fact that the Bush administration has formally approached Australia with this request, the request demands proper consideration," Gillard said.
Reuters