OTTAWA - Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, says he will not appear before a parliamentary committee to answer questions about Maher Arar.
The U.S. claimed he was linked with al-Qaeda, but Syria said it could not confirm those allegations. The House of Commons foreign affairs committee wants to ask Cellucci why the U.S. arrested and deported Arar. It also wants to know why, when asked about the Arar case last April, Cellucci said Canadians who wanted to know why the U.S. deported Arar to Syria, should ask the RCMP.
Cellucci maintained on Friday that the U.S. had good reason to deport Arar under U.S. law.
"This decision was made by U.S. authorities without consulting with Canadian authorities," he said. "The U.S. had good reason to make its decision and that's about all I can really say about it."
CBC.caPaul Celluci, ever the diplomat! (sarcasm off/)