Posted on 09/06/2002 2:50:18 PM PDT by anotherview
Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper says his concerns about an Ontario teenager detained by the U.S. military in Afghanistan include wider questions about Canadian defence and security issues.
The 15-year-old son of Ahmed Said Khadr, a Canadian citizen long suspected of being an al-Qaeda operative, is accused of involvement in a hours-long gunfight which killed a U.S. Special Forces medic last July.
"We want to know more about that incident. First of all we want to find out how this happened," Mr. Harper said during the closing press conference of his party's caucus retreat in Barrie, Ont., Friday.
For the past two months, Omar Khadr — who was born in Canada and who lived in both Ottawa and Toronto before moving with his family to Pakistan — has been held without charge as a "person under control" by U.S. forces at Bagram air base, north of Kabul.
The teenager was seriously wounded and detained at the scene of a gunbattle which fatally wounded U.S. Sergeant Christopher James Speer, 28. He died 11 days later at a military hospital in Germany.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said Friday that Canada was made aware of the arrest on Aug. 20 and has requested consular access to Mr. Kadhr from the United States. Canada has not received a reply, Mr. Graham said.
They also asked for consular access to Mr. Kadhr's older brther, who was captured by the Northern Alliance last November.
Mr. Harper said his immediate concern was not that the 15-year-old be returned to Canada. "My main concern is that we have an individual in a war zone. We have this situation to clarify," he said.
He said the Candian Alliance has been expressing general concerns about immigration issues and security issues in Canada since the war in Afghanistan began.
"[It's a] general concern we have about Canada being a platform for activities that are dangerous to the Western Alliance," Mr. Harper said.
The arrest of the younger boy has prompted concerns that he may be deemed an enemy combatant and sent to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where prisoners suspected of having links to al-Qaeda are held without the rights normally afforded to prisoners of war.
Canadian officials are already urging that proper diplomatic procedures be followed and that Omar's age be considered in determining what will be done with him.
"When a Canadian has been arrested abroad, we always have to serve the Canadian citizen according to the rules," Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said Thursday, responding to Omar's arrest and detention.
With reports from The Globe and Mail's Colin Freeze and Christine Boyd
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.