U.S. refuses to take Arar off watch list
Last Updated: Friday, January 26, 2007 | 10:00 PM ET
CBC News

The United States has not lifted its restrictions on Maher Arar, even though the Canadian government
apologized to him on Friday and offered him a $10.5 million compensation package.
'We remain convinced that Mr. Arar's presence on the watch list is appropriate.'-U.S.
State Department
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.
The U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, said the United States would not change its mind.
"This is a situation where our two countries will continue to disagree," Wilkins said in a written
statement.

'Canada has every right to go to bat for one of its citizens when the government
believes a Canadian is being unfairly treated.'-Prime Minister Stephen Harper
In December, Wilkins revealed that Arar had never been removed from the watch list, which restricts
him from travelling to the United States.
The Canadian judicial inquiry released a report in September 2006 concluding U.S. authorities wrongly alleged Arar may be linked to terrorists. The
inquiry also concluded there was no evidence to support such claims.
Arar's contacts, travel history said to be issues
On Friday, a State Department official told the Canadian Press that Arar remains on the U.S. watch list
because of his personal associations and travel history.
An official stressed that while Arar's associations and travel history do not warrant his presence on a
Canadian security list, they do qualify him for the U.S. list.
"The issue won't be closed," Day told CBC News. "This conversation will come up again."

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