[JURIST] The French, German, and British ambassadors to the US on Sunday called for the United States to close the Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detention camp, with French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte [official profile] going so far as to call the facility "an embarrassment." The critical remarks come on the heels of a UN report [PDF text; JURIST report] alleging that some detainees have been subjected to physical and mental abuse that amounted to torture and calling for the camp to be closed. In the joint appearance on CNN, German Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger [official profile] joined his colleague, saying that the sooner the detainee camp is closed, the better it will be for the United States' image as a military and political power and as one of the world's moral leaders."

Thus far, the US has rejected the call to close Guantanamo down [JURIST report] despite mounting support for the UN position [JURIST report]. There are presently about 500 detainees being held at Guantanamo, all but a very few of whom have yet to be formally charged. AFP has more.