Australia to Accept Gitmo Detainees?

If you live in Australia may have some new neighbors coming to town in the near future:

KEVIN Rudd has left open the possibility of Australia taking former inmates from the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.

But he warned that any US request for an inmate to come would be subject to legal criteria and assessed on a case-by-case basis, The Australian reports.

As the Greens warned the Prime Minister he faced a political backlash if he accepted detainees held in the US military jail at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a spokesman for Mr Rudd confirmed US authorities had approached Australia and other countries about resettling the detainees.

“Australia, along with a number of other countries, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

“Any determination for an individual to come to Australia would be made on a case-by-case basis.  [The Australian]

There are 60 detainees currently at Gitmo that have been cleared for release but do not want to go back to their home countries because of expected retribution to them from their own government. Thus Washington is trying to send to third countries.  As much as everyone wants Gitmo shut down, accepting detainees is definitely one of those, not in my backyard issues which is why I would be surprised if Australia accepted any of them.