By MARTA FALCONIAssociated Press Writer
Italy's interior minister insisted Saturday that any decision to accept Guantanamo inmates must be unanimously made by members of the European Union and expressed worry the suspected terrorists might move easily through the union's loose borders.
Minister Roberto Maroni said the detainees from the U.S. military prison on the Cuban island should be sent only to countries that are able to jail them again, if need be.
"The European Union ... should reach a unanimous decision and welcome, only if so they desire, those inmates that can be put back in jail," Maroni told a news conference following a two-day meeting of interior and justice ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized countries.
Otherwise, the released Guantanamo inmates "arrive at the airports, are escorted out, and then are free to move" across the porous national borders of several EU countries. "This is obviously not acceptable for me, as it increases the level of terrorism risk," Maroni said.
The European Union's so-called Schengen zone is an area of open frontiers comprised of 22 EU countries and three outside the EU in which no systematic passport checks are carried out.
Maroni said the issue was discussed by Italian officials in a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder earlier in the week. He said no concrete decision was made, and the issue will discussed again at a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg on June 4-5.
Italy was considering taking "not more than two or three inmates," but no formal request has been made yet, Maroni said, adding the inmates have not been identified.
U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered the closure of Guantanamo, which has been criticized in much of Europe. His administration is reviewing Guantanamo cases to determine whether the suspects remaining there should be tried in U.S. courts or released to other countries.
Separately on Saturday, the G-8 ministers agreed to increase cooperation and share information in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.
In a final declaration, the ministers stressed the need to block the financing of terrorism, urging the "monitoring the activities and communications terrorist organizations rely on," especially the Internet.
The ministers also urged countries affected by sea piracy to prosecute the pirates whenever possible. Rampant piracy off Somalia's coast is now the biggest threat to merchant shipping, with most attacks ending with million-dollar ransom payments.
The Group of Eight nations are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
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