Zapatero says Spain to take Guantanamo prisoners

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Tuesday he was committed to President Barack Obama's goal of closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay and was firming up which inmates Spain would take.

Zapatero, in his first Oval Office visit since pulling Spanish troops out of Iraq in 2004, did not say exactly how many inmates from the U.S. military prison in Cuba his country would accept. Some news reports have said Spain would take no more than three.

The Obama administration asked Madrid earlier in the year to accept four prisoners from Guantanamo, where the United States has suspected enemy fighters in its struggle against al Qaeda.

After taking office in January, Obama promised to close the prison within a year but the legal difficulties involved in deciding what to do with the prisoners may make that deadline difficult to meet.

"President Obama thanked me for the position of Spain regarding accepting prisoners from Guantanamo," Zapatero told reporters after his meeting with Obama.

"We are firming up which people we will take. Our commitment is firm in this sense. We want to back the objective and the commitment of President Obama that Guantanamo be closed," he said.

Spain has been pushing for better ties with the United States in exchange for considering accepting Guantanamo prisoners.

U.S.-Spanish relations chilled in 2004 after Zapatero pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq to fulfill a campaign promise. Former U.S. President George W. Bush shunned Zapatero after the decision. Zapatero's visit to the Oval Office after a lunch meeting with Obama at the White House was his first since 2004.

Obama said the two leaders had discussed a wide range of issues, including the conflict in Afghanistan and efforts to revive the Middle East peace process. Zapatero travels to the Middle East after leaving Washington.

"We both agreed that the time is right for a resumption of negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis in order to create ... two states that are living side-by-side in peace and security," Obama said.

Zapatero reaffirmed Spain's commitment to the NATO effort in Afghanistan.

"Guaranteeing stability, security and reducing radical movements and the Taliban is fundamental for the future of that country and for the fight against terrorism," he said.

Obama thanked Zapatero for the role Spanish troops are playing in providing security in Afghanistan and helping to train Afghan troops.

"Spain and the United States are working together on some of the most difficult security issues that we face in the world," he said.

(Writing by David Alexander, editing by Anthony Boadle)