Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- European Union foreign ministers struggled to agree on taking in prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility as a way to support President Barack Obama’s order to shut down the prison camp.

EU member states such as Portugal and France, which have expressed openness to hosting prisoners that can’t go home or to the U.S., must first overcome legal and political hurdles before taking in Guantanamo inmates.

“We will examine very precisely, case-by-case, which cases will be handled,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters after the meeting in Brussels. “We will embed ourselves in a joint European position.”

Obama last week ordered the closure of the prison camp in Cuba within a year, reversing a Bush administration policy that drew worldwide criticism and raised the issue of what to do with the remaining inmates, numbering about 245. The act brought praise from European states that had called for the closure.

Still, legal obstacles prevent the EU from producing a unified statement, said Karel Schwarzenberg, foreign minister from the Czech Republic, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency. Steinmeier said participants at today’s EU foreign ministers meeting compared the “commotion” over the prison’s establishment to the views on what to do after its closure.

“We can’t give a quick answer,” Schwarzenberg told reporters after the meeting.

‘Strong Commitment’

European leaders have had contrasting positions about what they’re ready to offer. Portugal, France, and non-EU member Switzerland have said they’ll consider taking prisoners on a case-by-case basis, while Italy is open to the idea but wants a common EU position.

“We have a strong commitment to cooperate with the new American administration to close Guantanamo,” Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado told reporters at today’s meeting.

The U.S. military has determined that some 50 to 60 men in Guantanamo don’t constitute a risk, though can’t return home to countries such as Algeria or Libya for fear of mistreatment. Many of the inmates were swept up in Afghanistan and Pakistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington and turned over to the U.S. military.

Steinmeier said he expects that most prisoners will either be repatriated or handled by the U.S. The Obama administration would then hold talks with European states and others about what to do with the rest individually.

‘We Can’t Delay’

“We know that such requests will come to us, so we can’t delay this discussion,” Steinmeier said.

Germany hasn’t decided whether to take prisoners, while the Dutch government has refused on the grounds that the U.S. should handle the situation. The U.K., which has accepted six of its nationals and four residents since 2004, will “offer our experience” to EU allies, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.

“The U.K. feels it’s already made a significant contribution to the closure of Guantanamo,” Miliband said.

Obama said last week he is upholding an “understanding that dates back to our founding fathers, that we are willing to observe the core standards of conduct not just when it’s easy but also when it’s hard.”

A task force, led by the attorney general and the secretary of defense, will advise Obama on how to deal with prisoners who can’t be transferred to other countries, pose a serious danger to the U.S., and can’t be tried because of various problems related to evidence, Obama said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Donahue in Brussels at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net; James G. Neuger in Brussels at jneuger@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 26, 2009 12:50 EST