Lilac Hill
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AUSTRALIA will not take any former inmates of the US' Guantanamo Bay detention centre, acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.
Ms Gillard said the Federal Government advised the US lat night that Australia would refuse the American request.
It was the second time the administration of US President George W. Bush had asked Australia to resettle detainees from the War on Terror prison.
"We have considered that request and last night Australian time, Friday US time, we advised the US Government that we would not be agreeing to those resettlement requests," Ms Gillard said.
"Those resettlement requests were considered on a case by case basis against Australia's stringent national security and immigration criteria.
"Assessing those requests on a case by case basis (they) have not met those stringent national security and immigration criteria and have been rejected.
"(As) for the future, we will consider any future requests on a case by case basis against these stringent criteria for both national security and immigration."
She said both requests had been made by the administration of George W. Bush, not of US President-elect Barack Obama.
The second request came as incoming Mr Obama plans to shut the prison, located at a US sovereign naval base in Cuba, within two years.
The US has cleared about 60 Guantanamo Bay detainees for release, but they cannot be returned to their home nations due to security concerns.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis said the request should never have been considered.
"We are speaking about people, terrorism suspects captured on the field of battle detained in Guantanamo Bay who are among the most dangerous people among the world," Senator Brandis said in Brisbane today.
"If the American Government were uncomfortable with those people being resettled in the United States under what possible set of circumstances would it be proper for the Australian Government to consider settling those people in Australia?"
The Times of London reported this week that Britain was preparing to take detainees to allow Mr Obama's Government to shut down the prison.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24868702-421,00.html
Britain can have them if they want them!