Ottawa agrees to settlement talks with Arar

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA — The federal government has opened the door to settling a lawsuit launched by Maher Arar, the engineer who wound up in a Syrian prison after being investigated by the RCMP.

The government has agreed to send senior officials to mediation sessions with Arar's counsel for two days of discussions next January, according to documents on file with Ontario Superior Court.

Representatives of the Ottawa and Peel Regional police services will also attend the talks Jan. 15 and 16, which could pave the way for a financial settlement with Arar.

"Obviously compensation would be the end result if an agreement was arrived at," said Julian Falconer, the lawyer handling Arar's civil case against the police services and federal agencies, including the Mounties and CSIS.

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[Spazito]

1. Hmmm, the report from the inquiry is due out today, I believe....

and I am SURE it is only coincidence that the government has agreed to settlement talks just days before the release, not.

The report must contain some damning facts re the behavior of government, RCMP and CISA.