Ireland is to accept two detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba for resettlement.
It was confirmed by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern at a meeting in Dundalk today with new US Ambassador Dan Rooney.
Mr Ahern said: 'The Government has consistently called for [Guantanamo's] closure.
'I am conscious of the intention of the US 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.'
While a definite timetable has yet to be established, the transfer of the two detainees is expected within the next couple of months.
The minister said EU states had agreed arrangements last month concerning monitoring of former detainees accepted for resettlement and that Ireland would be complying with those arrangements.
Mr Ahern said he intended to adhere to the norms of official procedure in respecting the rights of the two men to their privacy.
There will be no public disclosure of any personal information and details of the arrangements for travel to Ireland will not be made public.
Mr Ahern asked people to acknowledge the difficult conditions in which the two men had been detained and to allow them time and space to adjust to their new circumstances when they arrive.
Amnesty International Ireland Executive Director Colm O'Gorman welcomed the announcement saying the Government has always been consistent in its opposition to the use of the centre.
