Spain on Wednesday said it was ready to accept prisoners from the detention centre at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba in order to help US President Barack Obama’s administration close the controversial facility for suspected terrorists.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, prime minister, approved the idea of accepting “a limited number” of prisoners. “We are favourably disposed and of course the number would be small in any case,” he said in a television interview. Italy has already agreed to take three inmates.