Three to four prisoners from Guantanamo Bay will possibly be arriving in Hungary. According to the U.S. Ambassador, "they don't bring any danger to Hungarian citizens." Nonetheless, if these prisoners are harmless, why were they detained in Guantanamo Bay in the first place?

If the Hungarian government agrees, the prisoners' arrival will be arranged in 2010. Jeffrey D. Levine, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States in Budapest, says that the United States is asking its allied countries to accept three to four prisoners each. The United States realizes that Hungary, as well as the rest of the European Union, needs to consult with their nation and the United States before deciding; consequently, the United States will release information about the prisoners before they are transferred.

As the U.S. government states, the arriving prisoners will not cause any danger to the citizens of Hungary and will not need to be tried in court; the arrangement with each country entails that the prisoners will not be prosecuted. The prisoners who are deemed dangerous will be held in the United States and prosecuted there. According to the United Nations and international law, the detainees are not prisoners but refugees and can arrive as immigrants to Europe. U.S. Ambassador Levine also mentioned that a Hungarian group will visit Guantanamo and meet the prisoners in person before the transfer occurs.

Asked if the United States has a back-up plan in case Hungary refuses to accept the prisoners, Levine responded they are aware of the doubts in opposing parties, but are ready to conciliate with all parties to seek a full consensus in the parliament; they do not want to cause internal political disputes.

Hungary, which supports the U.S. decision to shut down Guantanamo Bay, is open to the American request, on condition that a visit to the country takes place, to further deliberate the question. Hungary needs detailed information about each person who will be transferred, and then, after extensive investigations and national security analysis, they will make a final decision. Ambassador Levine also said Hungary has expressed a willingness to accept only one or two prisoners rather than three or four.

Peter Talas, a Hungarian security expert, noted that accepting Guantanamo prisoners will increase the political and national security risks in the country, but will not significantly increase the risks of terrorist attacks.

What kind of status will the Guantanamo prisoners get in Hungary? That is yet to be determined by the United States.