Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht says Belgium is prepared to accept "a limited number" of prisoners from the US detention camp at Guantánamo Bay. He is due to communicate this message to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when they meet in Washington today.

The new US administration is keen to shut down Guantánamo Bay but its attempts to encourage other countries to take in the remaining detainees have so far been met with reluctance. On Thursday, President Barack Obama referred to the prison camp as "a misguided experiment".

As part of George W. Bush's "war on terror" around 800 people were detained at Guantánamo Bay. Around 240 inmates now remain.