Canada refuses US detainee request
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TORONTO - Canada has refused a request from the Obama administration to take 17 Chinese Muslims cleared for release from the US military prison at Guantanamo.
Kory Teneycke, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said yesterday that recent inquiries concerning the 17 Uighurs at Guantanamo were rejected.
"Canada is not looking to take any detainees from Guantanamo," Teneycke said. "In the case of the Uighurs and other Guantanamo Bay detainees Canada has no interest."
Teneycke said they have no connection to Canada and there are security concerns.
He said it's a different situation for Canadian detainee Omar Khadr, who Teneycke said does have standing in Canada because he is a citizen.
However, Harper has steadfastly refused to get involved in Khadr's case, saying the US legal process has to play itself out.
Khadr is charged with killing an American soldier in Afghanistan.
