User:Geo Swan/not ready yet/Guantanamo captives asylum offers

__NOINDEX__ See User:Geo Swan/Stale drafts Efforts to close the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp have been complicated

Following the election of United States President Barack Obama Germany was one of several countries that began to openly consider offering asylum to former Guantanamo captives. On February 16, 2009, Der Spiegel reported that Germany was only willing to consider former captives who had a previous tie to Germany. Further, the USA would be called upon to satisfy Germany that asylum seekers posed no security risk.

Der Spiegel characterized the German conditions as almost impossible to satisfy.

Der Spiegel reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel supports Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, who opposes offering asylum to former captives. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is reported to favor limited offers of Asylum.

So far the only former Guantanamo captive to be transferred to Germany was Murat Kurnaz, who was born in Germany, and had lived in Germany his entire life.