EU demands
immediate shutdown of Guantanamo prison
BRUSSELS, May 31 — Austrian Foreign Minister
Ursula Plassnik, speaking on behalf of the European
Union, demanded that the United States shut down –
as soon as possible – the military prison on the
base occupied by that country in Guantánamo, Cuba.
Plassnik told the European Parliament that the
existence of the U.S.-controlled prison in Cuba is
considered cause for genuine concern by the EU. The
Austrian official added that the prison is an
anomaly, the AP reported.
"The U.S. government should adopt measures to
close down the prison camp as quickly as possible,"
said Plassnik, whose country is holds the rotating
presidency of theEU, which changes every six months.
The majority of political groups in the European
Parliament backed Plassnik’s statements. The United
States is holding 460 alleged terrorist suspects in
Guantánamo. To date, charges have been filed against
only 10 of them.
Human rights organizations and government and
political leaders agree on the demand that
Washington should close down the prison, where
torture and abuse takes place.
