WORLD IN BRIEF / BRITAIN - Premier asks U.S. to free 5 prisoners

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked the United States to free five British residents from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

U.S. officials said Brown’s request was a positive step in broader efforts to cut the number of inmates at the controversial prison and eventually shut it.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said any transfers would depend on assurances that the detainees would not be mistreated.

Brown’s action contrasts with predecessor Tony Blair’s refusal to intervene in many Guantanamo cases. Blair’s government chose to secure the release of only nine citizens and one resident.