STOCKHOLM, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Members of Danish parliament are split on whether the country should agree to house former Liberian President Charles Taylor after his war crimes trial in The Hague, said reports reaching here from Copenhagen.

    The foreign minister, Per Stig Moeler, confirmed Thursday that Denmark had received an informal request to either imprison Taylor or give him asylum after the trial.

    He hinted that the country's role in helping bring Taylor to justice made it a last resort candidate to house him.

    "I know that there are discussions at the UN about where he should be placed since he can't remain in The Hague after the trial. Denmark has done a lot to ensure that Charles Taylor doesn't go unpunished. We raised the issue in the Security Council," Moeler was quoted as saying by Ritzau news bureau.

    The Netherlands has agreed to host the trial on the condition that Taylor will leave the country immediately after its conclusion.

    The U.S., which is leading the search for a country to house Taylor, is now said to be lobbying Denmark to accept him after short-list candidates Sweden and Austria refused.

    Other countries approached to house Taylor have refused, fearing the political backlash of accepting the warlord, currently imprisoned in Sierra Leone while he awaits trial on 11 counts of war crimes.

    Taylor is accused of being behind war crimes during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war while he was president of neighboring Liberia. Enditem