PM Harper tells Fox News Canada not willing to take Gitmo detainees

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper tells Fox News today that Canada is not willing to take in Guantanamo Bay detainees.

In an interview from his office on Parliament Hill, Harper says his government has a strong record in opposing terrorism and is not offering Canada “as a safe haven” for anyone the United States considers to be a terrorist.

Without mentioning Omar Khadr by name, the prime minister said there is a Canadian in Guantanamo who’s charged, and his government is waiting to see what U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration does in that particular case.

This week, four of the 17 Uighurs being held at Guantanamo were sent to Bermuda, and the Pacific islands country of Palau said it would accept others.

When asked what he thought about Obama’s decision to shut the U.S. naval prison in Cuba down by early 2010, Harper said it’s ultimately a decision of the United States.

Saying his government has been more understanding than some, Harper notes there’s been a lot of international concern about the process at Guantanamo. He said the U.S. will have to find a balance between addressing those concerns while maintaining a strong defence against the potential activity of terrorists.

Toronto-born Khadr, 22, is accused of killing a U.S. medic during a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002 when he was 15 years old.

Jun 12 2009

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