Belgian Foreign Minister Yves Leterme has agreed to take in a former terror suspect who will be released from the United States’ military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Recently, the U.S. has been working with the European Union to develop a framework by which detainees who have been cleared of all charges would be allowed to resettle within a memberstate. Recently, Portugal and Ireland have accepted detainees and quiet talks are underway with other nations.

According to the Belgian Foreign Ministry, “the individual in question is no longer facing prosecution and will be issued a visa granting him access to Belgian territory and resident status entitling him to a work permit. Before his arrival in Belgium, further accompanying measures will be specified with a view to ensuring his effective integration in Belgium.”

The military base in Guantanamo has been used to house detainees from the war on terror since October, 2001. An estimated 775 terror suspects have been brought to the base, nicknamed “Gitmo.” As of January, an estimated 420 detainees still remain at the closely guarded facility.

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Washington, D.C. (AHN) – Ireland has agreed to resettle two detainees in the prison camp in the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay. The Obama administration has set a January deadline to shut down the camp, which is widely seen as a symbol of the Bush administration’s controversial terror policies such as waterboarding.

In a statement, Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said, “I was the first EU Minister to call for the closure of the detention facility. The Government has consistently called for its closure since then. In making this decision I am conscious of the intention of the United States to close the centre at Guantanamo Bay, in part by transferring detainees, no longer regarded as posing a threat to security but who cannot return to their own countries, to other countries willing to accept them.”

Ahern made the decision following a report by Irish officials who visited Washington and Guantanamo last week. He met with newly-minted U.S. ambassador Dan Rooney the same day as his announcement.

The Irish Justice Ministry said it would not accept the two detainees as refugees under the Geneva Convention, but would not release any personal information about them in compliance with “norms of official procedure in respecting the rights of privacy.”

The prison camp in the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was opened in 2002 and currently has about 240 detainees.

Obama had issued three executive orders two days after his inauguration: one closing Guantanamo by Jan. 22, 2010, another banning waterboarding and requiring all prisoner interrogations to follow the Army Field Manual, and the third ordering a review of options for handling detainees.

Obama has been under pressure to provide a “comprehensive plan” about how he will shut down the facility without risking the nation’s safety.

Democrats in Congress had led Republicans in May in passing a bill funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq without the $80 million Obama had asked for to cover costs of shutting down the facility. The measure also had an Oct. 1 deadline for the President to provide Congress with a comprehensive plan.

Last week, liberals joined Republicans in criticizing the administration for failing to submit a report on detainee policy.

In his executive orders, Obama had created a task force responsible for reviewing U.S. policy on how to handle current prisoners in Guantanamo Bay as well as future detainees when the facility shuts down. The task force, co-chaired by Attorney General Eric Holder and Defense Sec. Robert Gates, was required to submit a report 180 days after the executive orders were issued.

Obama has so far convinced several nations to take detainees from the prison. Italy has agreed to take three, Bermuda has resettled four Uighurs, Iraq has taken one and Saudi Arabia three. Palau, a Pacific island nation south of Tokyo, has also said it would accept the temporary resettlement of 17 other Uighurs.

The European Union in June adopted a framework “that permits individual EU member states to accept detainees.”

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The offer is only open to 1.5 million American Service personnel and workers at Gitmo, and the resort (known as Taliban Towers) has a cinema, a golf course, gift shop and access to pristine Cuban beaches complete with resort style watersports. Visitors also have access to Gitmo facilities such as a McDonalds, KFC and even a Wal-Mart.

The Daily Mail claims its the gift shop that is the worst offense at Club Gitmo. The shop includes T-Shirts with slogans such as The Taliban Towers at Guantanamo Bay, the Caribbean’s Newest 5-star Resort, Greetings from paradise GTMO resort and spa fun in the Cuban sun, and a childs shirt that reads Someone who loves me got me this T-shirt in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I didn’t know Kitsch was a crime (although some may fairly argue that it should be).

(image credit: The Daily Mail)

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