Spain to receive Guantanamo detainees: Spanish PM

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Tuesday his country would take in Guantanamo detainees, and was now assessing how many.

According to information reaching here, Zapatero met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House, where the two discussed the closing of the detention facility at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo, Cuba.

"President Obama welcomed the initiative of Spain. It is something that we are assessing right now; we are still assessing the exact numbers," Zapatero said.

"Our support is firm; we want to back President Obama's promise to close Guantanamo," the prime minister added.

Zapatero also reaffirmed Spain's commitment to NATO's Afghanistan mission.

"We are always ready to make the maximum effort in this area," he explained.

Spain is one of the major contributors to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

Source: Xinhua