Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas confirmed Friday that the Baltic nation has received a request from the United States to take in two inmates from Guantanamo Bay detention camp run by the US military in Cuba, dpa reported.
Speaking at a press conference in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Usackas said a request was received from the US on February 5.
Usackas would not reveal the nationalities of the proposed inmates apart from saying that they were not Chinese. The Chinese embassy in Vilnius had written to the Lithuanian foreign ministry requesting that any of its citizens under detention should not be accepted.
Lithuanian media in recent days speculated that the detainees could be of Uzbek nationality, though no source for this information has been given.
"We are not speaking of individuals who would pose a threat," Usackas said, adding that the prisoners could be offered political asylum.
Usackas said talks with the US would likely take some months and would take into account the views of the European Union, of which Lithuania is a member.
However, the talks would technically be of a bipartite nature, Usackas said.
Lithuania, which is a NATO member, enjoys a warm relationship with the US. Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus served 29 years in the US civil service before returning to his homeland and renouncing his US citizenship.
In January, US President Barack Obama vowed to close the Guantanamo prison within a year. It has held detainees from the US war on terrorism since 2001 and drawn criticism for harsh treatment of some prisoners. In order to close the facility, the US is examining which detainees can be released, returned to their home countries or transferred to third countries.
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