Any Takers For Gitmo Detainees?

4654344Lost amid the hubbub of St. Patrick's Day cheer at the White House Tuesday was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's not-so-subtle request for European help with Guantanamo detainees during her meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin yesterday.

Responding to a reporter's question in the Treaty Room of the U.S. State Department, Clinton said, "There are some countries that have made it very clear if the detainees are returned that they will face consequences; imprisonment, for example. So we need help to avoid the human rights problems that might arise with the release and resettlement of the detainees."

Martin expressed his nation's willingness to help, saying there was a "compelling logic" for Ireland to take in former inmates as the Obama administration prepares to shut down the terror suspect detention.

Afterward, Martin told The Irish Times, "We wanted to see the closure of Guantanamo. We believed it was overall injurious to the public perception of the West, the public perception of the U.S. and also in terms of the human rights dimension to it. We have said that we are willing to respond with an offer of assistance."