European countries have been urged to allow detainees in Guantanamo Bay to settle on their soil.

In a letter sent to the European Parliament this week, John Bellinger, legal adviser to the U.S. State Department, said that around 25 of the 275 people still being held in the controversial camp have been "cleared for release or transfer but cannot be repatriated because of long-standing human rights concerns with respect to their countries of origin."

According to Bellinger, European Union member states have been approached by the U.S. on a bilateral basis over the past 12 months with requests that they accept some of these detainees. So far, however, this effort has not resulted in any transfers, he said.

The main reason, she added, why governments from Europe do not wish to accept detainees from Guantanamo is because "they do not want to accept their responsibilities."