Gitmo prisoners may find home in Germany

By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-19 07:51

A high-ranking German official said the country may accept a few Chinese prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, a move rejected by many ministers last week.

A secretary to German Foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said Germany would only accept the prisoners with the participation of other European countries.

That was the only way Berlin could "disperse the anger of Beijing", he was quoted by Der Spiegel's website as saying on Saturday.

Last month, a US envoy delivered a list of nine Chinese prisoners Washington wants Berlin to take, evoking security concerns from many people and local governments.

Germany's Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said "no" to the move, saying the US has not provided adequate information on the prisoners.

The inmates, captured in Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2001 and now declared released by the Obama government, are from China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and are part of the outlawed East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Chinese government has said.

The group, deemed a terrorist organization by the UN and the US, wants to see Xinjiang split from China. The US government has refused to repatriate them, citing "torture" concerns.

Steinmeier was the first high-level German government official to offer acceptance to Guantanamo prisoners, a move analysts said was aimed at "showing good will" to US President Barack Obama.

Gu Junli, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Steinmeier's decision is "not unexpected".

"Under the severe financial crisis, it's unlikely for the German government to risk the Sino-German relations to please the US administration," he said.