ROME – Italian news reports say Italy is considering a U.S. request to take two Tunisian prisoners from Guantanamo.
Italian news agencies are quoting Italy's foreign minister, Franco Frattini, as telling reporters in Tuscany Friday night that the request should be considered "in a positive spirit" and he expects to discuss the matter next week when the U.S. attorney general visits Rome.
The news reports said that the two Tunisian men who Washington wants Italy to take have been investigated in the past by Italian anti-terrorism prosecutors.
There was no immediate confirmation of the request from Washington or the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
U.S. President Obama has ordered the closure of the military prison, which has been criticized in much of Europe.