Italy might take Guantanamo inmates

A government minister said today Italy was willing to accept some detainees from Guantanamo prison, which US President Barack Obama has ordered to close.

Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa was quoted by Italian media as saying both he and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had "accepted this invitation".

He said during a visit to the island of Sardinia it should be seen as recognition of Italy's part in the war on terrorism.

Roberto Maroni, interior minister in Berlusconi's centre-right government, has said he opposes the idea.

The 27-nation European Union has not taken a common stand on the issue, leaving it for each country to decide.

Obama has ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to be closed within a year. The jail is known for its aggressive interrogation methods and is widely seen as a stain on the United States' human rights record.

Among the prisoners are about 60 who cannot go back to their home countries and whom the United States does not want to accept.