US ambassador: Arar case closed for now.

No doubt Stockwell Day will be happy enough not to talk about the case any more. Of course no evidence was ever brought forth to show that the US keeping Arar on the watch list was justified. Day, the Canadian minister in charge of security, also was shown the evidence and it didn't change his mind about Arar being innocent. Day is quite right wing and Pro US so if there were the slightest reason to support the US position he would gladly do so.


Matter of Arar’s place on security watch list 'closed’: U.S. ambassador The Canadian Press
Published: Thursday, March 01, 2007 Article tools
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TORONTO — The U.S. ambassador to Canada says there won’t be another review of Maher Arar’s place on a security watch list for the time being.

David Wilkins says his government completed a review of Arar’s case a few weeks ago and stands by its actions.

He says the matter is now closed.

Arar can’t fly into the United States even though he was exonerated of any terrorist ties by a Canadian inquiry.

He also received $10.5 million in compensation from the federal government and is currently suing U.S. officials.

The engineer was detained by U.S. officials in New York in 2002 and deported to Syria, where he was tortured while imprisoned for 10 months.

© The Canadian Press 2007

US still to keep Arar on no-fly list: Canadian Security Certifcates Unconstitutional

Of course the US has never apologised for misleading Canadian officals, indeed lying to them, or for sending him to Syria instead of Canada. It is great that the Supreme Court has found security certificates unconstitutional but probably the Conservatives will find some way of amending the legislation to make it legal and the status quo can remain for a year.

'We agree to disagree' with U.S. on Arar: MacKay
Last Updated: Friday, February 23, 2007 | 5:44 PM ET
CBC News
Canada and the United States "agree to disagree" on the status of Maher Arar, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said Friday alongside his U.S. counterpart, Condoleezza Rice.

MacKay, Rice and Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa spoke at a press conference in Ottawa following a day of high-level talks on a range of issues, including trade, security and flu pandemic response plans.

"We agree to disagree at times," MacKay said. "It's clear Canada and the United States hold a different position on this issue."

MacKay went on to praise the "tremendous unprecedented co-operation" between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in areas of security.

Rice reiterated previous comments on the Arar affair, saying the United States respects Canada's decision on Arar, but makes its own security decisions based on "our own information."

Arar still on U.S. 'no-fly' list
Arar, a Canadian citizen who was born in Syria, was detained in 2002 by U.S. authorities who suspected him of terrorist links and deported him to his homeland, where he was jailed and tortured. Arar's name was later cleared by a Canadian judicial inquiry, which blamed his deportation in part on the RCMP.



Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized to Arar in January and offered him a $10.5-million compensation package for his ordeal.

The U.S. State Department has said it would keep Arar on its security watch list, even though Ottawa has been pushing for his name to be removed.

In January, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he saw the U.S. information during a visit to Washington and found nothing new to suggest Arar is a safety risk.
MacKay's comments came on the same day as the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the security certificate system used by the federal government to detain and deport foreign-born terrorist suspects.

The court found that the system, described by the government as a key tool for safeguarding national security, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

MacKay noted the decision allowed the government a year to examine the decision and re-write the law.

Report on Gonzales briefing of Specter and Leahy

U.S. senators briefed on Maher Arar. This report did not mention Leahy's refusal to say whether Arar should remain on the list. We will have to keep watching to see if there is any GAO investigation into these matters and if congress keeps up any pressure to examine rendition.


Canadian Press


Thursday, February 01, 2007





WASHINGTON (CP) — Two U.S. senators who have been briefed on the Maher Arar case say they have a lot more questions.

But Democrat Patrick Leahy and and Republican Arlen Specter clammed up about what they were told by Justice Department officials today during a meeting that lasted an hour and 40 minutes.

They say the information is classified but wanted to assure people that the file was receiving a lot of congressional oversight.

The two senators say they want to know more about why Arar was sent to Syria and why the United States won’t take him off its security watch list when he’s been completely exonerated in Canada.

Leahy also wants the Government Accountability Office to look into Arar’s case. The office is already conducting a study of how people make it onto the U.S. no-fly list.

Leahy angrily demanded answers last month from Gonzales at a public hearing, saying the case was a black mark on the United States.



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Gonzales briefs Leahy on Arar Case

Finally Gonzales together with Arlen Spectre(sp) received a briefing on the Arar affair. They saw the classified documentation that supposedly justifies Arar being on the no fly list. Leahy said he still had concerns because Arar was sent to Syria rather than Canada. When asked whether he thought Arar should be removed from the no-fly list he said he could not comment because the information was classified. Huh? THe information is simply his opinion whether Arar should remain on the no-fly list. Wow. Stockwell Day our minister in charge of security revealed his opinion after viewing the same material. He remained convinced Arar should not be on the list. I have not seen text news reports yet but from what I saw on TV Leahy was a disappointment. His evasiveness would be fine in a person such as Gonzales but I thought Leahy was a bit above that sort of thing.

EU report suggests that Arar deserves apology and compensation from member states

Italy was a stopover point on Arar's rendition to Syria. What a contrast this is to the US that continues to keep Arar on a no-fly list. Sen. Leahy really needs to have hearings on rendition to remove the cover of GOnzales and CHertoff who are hiding their mistakes under the protection of national security.

EU Report Recommends Apology for Arar
Josh Pringle
Thursday, January 25, 2007

A new European Union report will be tabled today suggesting Maher Arar deserves an apology and compensation from member states.

The Globe and Mail reports the European Parliament will vote on the report next month.

The report adds Italy should be held to account for allowing the United States to use Rome as a stopover base for the US flight that took Arar to Syria.


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