Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai says his country is prepared to take one prisoner from the United States detention camp at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.

He says Hungary wants to honour its NATO obligations, while making a practical and moral contribution to efforts to close down the controversial detention camp for suspected terrorists.

The prisoner concerned is still to be chosen from the list of possible inmates but will be of Palestinian origin. After arrival in Hungary, the former inmate will receive an 18-month-long integration course after which citizenship will be on offer.

There remain 220 inmates at the Guantánamo Bay camp. The United States hopes to close the facility down next year but few countries are willing to accept former detainees. France, Germany, Ireland and Saudi Arabia are among the nations which have agreed to take former prisoners.

Photo: Guantánamo Bay cell replica (Flickr / Sarah Heiman)