Ottawa's refusal to take Gitmo inmates irks U.S.

[IndianaGreen]

Here is my take on this story: Canada's PM Harper is a conservative that is closely allied with his ideological cousins in te US. We saw this week how a handful of righwing members of Congress went to Honduras to cavort with the golpistas there, in direct opposition to US foreign policy towards the coup regime. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Harper is helping sabotage the Administration efforts to close Guantanamo by refusing to take prisoners not charged with terrorism that wish to relocate to a country where they won't be tortured.

There are no coincidences and nothing happens in a vacuum!

Ottawa's refusal to take Gitmo inmates irks U.S.

White House puzzled by Canada's abrupt refusal to accept detainees from Guantanamo prison

Published On Sun Oct 11 2009

GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA–An apparent snub by the Canadian government has dismayed officials on the Obama administration's task force who are working to resettle dozens of detainees here and close the prison, a high-ranking White House official told the Star.

Various foreign governments have offered refuge to prisoners that the Pentagon has cleared for release, including France, Portugal, Ireland and smaller nations such as Bermuda and Palau. Dozens more are now negotiating with the task force, answering U.S. President Barack Obama's call for help.

But the official, who has intimate knowledge of the negotiations and who spoke to the Star on the condition he not be named, said Canada abruptly stopped talks earlier this year. He said the task force was surprised to learn of Canada's decision through a press release.

"I just found it puzzling," there were no phone calls or diplomatic meetings, the official said. "A public rejection was odd."

Canada's position is in contrast to other countries eager to curry favour with the U.S. administration by helping Obama's apparent Sisyphean task to close Gitmo. Various foreign governments have stated that accepting detainees is "the right thing to do" after years of criticism about the offshore prison.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/708666--ottawa-s-refusal-to-take-gitmo-inmates-irks-u-s