Omar Khadr....

[dancing-loon]

DL,
Good to hear from you. We both know about the many standards being applied by the US. There is one for the general populace, one for the low level politicians, one for the top level pols and then the one they may to choose to apply (heavy on the word may) to their military members.

Hi, Norm;
You are so right! A good example is the current going ons in Iraq. The US and the Iraqi government have come to an agreement that will allow the American troops to remain in Iraq for another three years. In order to get that past the protesting people the US had to agree that their servicemen could be tried by the Iraqi court in cases of severe criminal behavior.

Now read this here:

[FONT=Verdana,Sans-serif].... "It's critical that our dedicated men and women in uniform serving in Iraq have full legal protections and are not subject to criminal prosecution in an Iraqi judicial system that does not meet due process standards," Levin said. "I intend to reserve judgment as to whether the proposed agreement includes safeguards adequate to meet this standard until I have an opportunity for a more complete review."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also lobbied lawmakers this week, including Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden.
The accord calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of 2011 and gives Iraq limited authority over off-duty, off-base U.S. soldiers who commit crimes. Congressional approval is not required for the pact to take effect, but the administration is trying to build maximum political support anyway.
The Bush administration and the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are under pressure to complete the agreement quickly because the current legal basis for the U.S. military occupation of Iraq is a United Nations mandate that is due to expire Dec. 31.

The Iraqis are opposed to renewing the U.N. mandate because they want to restore their full sovereignty.

[/FONT] http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081017/D93SGKBO0.html

Young Omar committed no crime, and yet he is treated worse than a war criminal!
And these people are Canada's friends and allies!!! :angryfire::angryfire:

by Norm:
Rumsfeld is another crook who was the discoverer of the Dick Cheney personality back during Rumsfeld's first term as the SecDef. That whole bunch runs together and some how by force or bribes makes their way through the system and never being held accountable for their actions. I know of several retired flag level officers who are now sick of what they are witnessing. BUT, it is a good old boys club and they cover for each other. look at what they did to Sanchez and Zinni. Both broke the code of silence as did Wes Clark. Once the word is out those opposing the system are now outcasts. That can have a heck of psychological affect on the one being ostracized. But I believe their day will come eventually and I sure wouldn't want to be in their shoes when it does. None of this is right and continuance of the wrongful practices just infuriates those in the world who learn of it. No wonder the US is now held in such low esteem internationally. Pay backs can be hell!

I'm one of those infuriated by the brutality the US uses against their "detainees" as well as against ordinary Iraqi citizens. What would you think what sort of crimes these dedicated US soldiers would commit?....

http://www.aztlan.net/iraqi_women_raped.htm

And these "dedicated" servicemen will be shielded and protected from the Iraqi law!! Well, maybe the Commander-in Chief will take the blame and present his head instead. At least we can foolishly hope he will.

A dumb question: WHY doesn't the US leave Iraq? Why stay another three years against the will of the Iraqi people? There's got to be a selfish reason!

 

[normbc9]

DL,
I hear I missed a birthday greeting? Belatedly, many happy returns. We all ask questions about what the US motives are on foreign soils. But remember we are rational people asking for rational answers and so far none have surfaced. I'm glad the Iraqi's are asserting their souvereignty now. They never asked the US to come over in the first place. After the construction of the massive (147 acres) US Embassy Compound it signaled to me that we had set up a colony abroad. Now that is appearing to be a myth (hopefully) and we should listen to those folks who have a constitutionaly elected government and adhere to their request. In my opinion the real struggle internal to Iraq will start the moment our resources vacate their souvereign soil. But that is their problem. Our staying now not only causes the Iraqi's distress, think of the US economic failures recently and how those monies could be used on US soil to assist the working class people who have been hit hard economically by this horrendous screwup by the US government which truly roots back to the early 1980's with the Reagan sponsored "Trickle Down Economics" which just finally sunk us. The only bailout I saw was a giant sell out of the US citizens to the gain of a wealthy few. The same few who run the US war machine.

 

[darkbeaver]

The war machine makes lots of money, everyones dying to get in on the action.

 

[dancing-loon]

The war machine makes lots of money, everyone's dying to get in on the action.

It must be very profitable, or else the war mongers wouldn't engage in it so often.

While trying to find a referenz to that fact on the web, I saw this article, a little different from what I was looking for, but nevertheless quite interesting and I'd like to share it with you.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]war is hellishly profitable[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]by Preston Peet (ptpeet@cs.com) - October 18, 2000 [/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica]There is a new breed of cold-blooded soldier-of-fortune fighting in a multitude of countries in Africa and other hot war-zones around the world, a corporate version, which kills for a much higher, somewhat legal price tag. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The career choice of 'mercenary' has a long and colorful history. What does one do after being trained to kill a thousand different ways, blow things up, use anything as a weapon, then retires from military service? There aren't many job opportunities for someone like that. Luckily for these killers, rulers throughout history have hired soldiers-of-fortune to defend them, or do their dirty work, or when he/she simply didn't want too many subjects killed, and/or not paying taxes while campaigning. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Alexander the Great hired Phoenicians, 224 ships in all, to help destroy ancient island Tyre, in 322 BC. In the Fourth and Fifth Centuries AD, the Roman military was made up in large part of Barbarian mercenaries. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]During the American Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin hired Prussian Friedrich von Steuben to train Colonial troops. Chennault's famous Flying Tigers in China at the beginning of World War II were mercenaries. There is the infamous French Foreign Legion, which still takes any and all comers with or without identity. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The CIA has hired plenty of mercenaries, from Cuban exiles for the bungled 'Bay of Pigs' affair and the 'Air America' operations in South-east Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, to spending over US$1 million in 1975 in Angola to put together mercenary forces. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]According to William Blum in his brilliant and disturbing Killing Hope (Common Courage Press, 1995), the CIA also financed British mercenaries in Angola, including the psychopath Costas Georgfou (Colonel Tony Callan), who once lined up and shot fourteen of his own men for attacking the wrong side. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]In the Congo in 1960-64, the CIA had an army of mercenaries made up of Americans, Cuban-exile Bay of Pigs veterans, South Africans and Rhodesians, both grunts and pilots. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]It was in mercenary 'Mad Mike' Hoare's South African home that CIA agent Donald Rickard spoke of turning in Nelson Mandela in August of 1962, a year after the great activist and freedom fighter's arrest and incarceration, resulting in Mandela's 28-year prison sentence. Blum calls Hoare a "long-time CIA mercenary." CIA-hired mercenaries have seen action in Guatemala, El Salvador, Indonesia, Seychelles, Zaire as well. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The days of Hoare, and Colonel Bob Denard, two of the most infamous of the white mercenaries that fought throughout the world's conflicts, are now for the most part over. Private military companies such as Executive Outcomes, Sandline, Dyncorp, and Military Professional Resources, Inc have eclipsed them. These companies offer insurance and benefits for their employees, often operating under contract from corporations and governments, training and equipping troops, protecting potentates, crushing rebellions, and doing some intelligence work on the side, in exchange for cash, and/or shares in national natural resources, oil and diamonds and the like. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]While the South African office of Executive Actions was closed down in January 1999, the others are still going strong, with the US using MPRI and Dyncorp in the Balkans, and in Latin America. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]MPRI actually helped draw up the US$1.3 billion military aid package, 'Plan Colombia,' from which they will profit by providing logistical support, and training. Dyncorp currently has in excess of US$200 million with over 900 full time employees. MPRI is made up of retired military officers, with 160 full-time employees, a database of 11 000 former American military officers, and its spokesman, Ret. Lieutenant Harry Soyster, is the former head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency. If there is one lesson learned from history, both modern and ancient, it is not that "war is hell," but that "war is hellishly profitable." [/FONT]

 

[dancing-loon]

Norm wrote:

DL,
I hear I missed a birthday greeting? Belatedly, many happy returns. We all ask questions about what the US motives are on foreign soils. But remember we are rational people asking for rational answers and so far none have surfaced. I'm glad the Iraqi's are asserting their sovereignty now. They never asked the US to come over in the first place. After the construction of the massive (147 acres) US Embassy Compound it signaled to me that we had set up a colony abroad. Now that is appearing to be a myth (hopefully) and we should listen to those folks who have a constitutionally elected government and adhere to their request. In my opinion the real struggle internal to Iraq will start the moment our resources vacate their sovereign soil. But that is their problem. Our staying now not only causes the Iraqi's distress, think of the US economic failures recently and how those monies could be used on US soil to assist the working class people who have been hit hard economically by this horrendous screwup by the US government which truly roots back to the early 1980's with the Reagan sponsored "Trickle Down Economics" which just finally sunk us. The only bailout I saw was a giant sell out of the US citizens to the gain of a wealthy few. The same few who run the US war machine.

Oh my... me and a birthday? No, dear Norm, you are tooo early. You must have gotten me mixed up with someone else. Sorry to disappoint you!

Yes, politicians are a special breed of people, and some of them are real obsessed with their power, although they can be quite the cowards. Wars should be forbidden! Period!! Saddam and Bush should have been put in a ring and wrestle each other. The winner gets a piece of pie = slice of land from the other!

I don't know about the Reagan Trickle... I was too young still at the time to have been interested in politics. No computer either!

So true... the same people who have the power also have the wealth, even if it belongs to the people.
What can we do? It's been like this since time began.

 

[dancing-loon]

Good Morning, Norm;

here is a little add-on for the above that I accidentally stumbled upon, something I didn't know, thought the British had more or less already left, but now they are begging as well to stay on. Isn't that strange? All for the great love of the Iraqi people!!

...An impasse would have knock-on effects for Britain, which is also attempting to gain an agreed extension of its operations in Iraq. On his first visit to Iraq, Defence Secretary John Hutton secured a statement from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that a bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) would closely match the US deal.
"If the SOFA with the US is approved by parliament, it will help signing an agreement with the British for their military presence in Iraq," Mr Maliki said.

Here the official reason why they want to stay on:

....allowing US forces to continue for a temporary time to assist Iraqi security forces." Iraqi proponents of the American presence justify the extension on the grounds the country will not be able to defend itself from external attack for at least three years.

Does that make sense to you, when the Iraqi people want guaranties to be allowed to prosecute the foreign forces for crimes committed against them, or better yet, have them leave altogether? Besides, who would want to attack Iraq now? Israel? There's got to be a hidden agenda they are desperate to adhere to, but won't tell anybody what it is.
Such a guessing game!!:roll::smile:




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ree-years.html

 

[normbc9]

DL,
Any foreign occupier wishing to stay on in Iraq is motivated by the thoughts of controlling the oil. How many of who are not acclimated want to stick around in a place with very hot daytime temperatures and few if any modern conveniences like air conditiong? Plus random projectiles flying around. If I were an Iraqi national living on my home soil I'd demand these outsiders leave. I'll get my own weapons, organize some sympathizers and defend my home turf myself. Three things they all have over there are guns, cell phones and a TV. What more could they ask for other than being able to keep their own oil revenues? The Gitmo thing is now being played with by the Bush gang. They are going to not implement the most recent court order until someone new inherits the problems they started.

 

[Zzarchov]

By your own logic, why would Iraqi's want to stay there? Apparently the place is terrible and horrible. Never mind its the birthplace of civilization.

They have AC, they have water and electricity (or would if they would quit bombing it), they have highways, streetlights, roads, planes, trains and automobiles.

Alot of people in Iraq want to stay because they don't feel like abandoning people to roving armed gangs intent on roaming the streets massacring everyone in their attempt to claim "their country" for "themselves" after whiping out everyone else they consider foreign (even if they have been in the land since time immemorial)

 

[gopher]

If Iraq is "paradise" the three million exiled people would have returned a long time ago.

 

[Zzarchov]

Who said its paradise?

Ireland is descent place to live, but its not like the diaspora is going to pack up and move back anytime soon.

 

[gopher]

Nobody is wasting $ 10 billion dollars a month fighting there, either.

 

[Zzarchov]

Not anymore, but a whole crapload was spend for decades by Britain.

 

[dancing-loon]

DL,
Any foreign occupier wishing to stay on in Iraq is motivated by the thoughts of controlling the oil. How many of who are not acclimated want to stick around in a place with very hot daytime temperatures and few if any modern conveniences like air conditioning? Plus random projectiles flying around. If I were an Iraqi national living on my home soil I'd demand these outsiders leave. I'll get my own weapons, organize some sympathizers and defend my home turf myself. Three things they all have over there are guns, cell phones and a TV. What more could they ask for other than being able to keep their own oil revenues? The Gitmo thing is now being played with by the Bush gang. They are going to not implement the most recent court order until someone new inherits the problems they started.

Good Morning, Norm;
with regards to motivation read this:

Energy Information Administration (EIA) figures claiming that the territory of Iraq contains over 112 billion barrels (bbl) of proven reserves—oil that has been definitively discovered and is expected to be economically producible.

In addition, since Iraq is the least explored of the oil-rich countries, there have been numerous claims of huge undiscovered reserves there as well—oil thought to exist, and expected to become economically recoverable—to the tune of hundreds of billions of barrels.

Brookings: How Much Oil Does Iraq Have? - Council on Foreign Relations

Apparently, there is more oil than the Saudis have. Not bad for motivation, that's for sure. And looking at their Embassy one can tell, they are there to stay!

The fortress-like compound rising beside the Tigris River here will be the largest of its kind in the world, the size of Vatican City, with the population of a small town, its own defense force, self-contained power and water, and a precarious perch at the heart of Iraq’s turbulent future.The new U.S. Embassy also seems as cloaked in secrecy as the ministate in Rome.

Check link for photo: New embassy in Iraq a mystery - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

“It’s all for them, all of Iraq’s resources, water, electricity, security,” said Raid Kadhim Kareem, who has watched the buildings go up at a floodlighted site bristling with construction cranes from his post guarding an abandoned home on the other side of the Tigris River. “It’s as if it’s their country, and we are guests staying here.”

“They’re not leaving Iraq for a long time,” said Hashim Hamad Ali, another guard, who called the compound “a symbol of oppression and injustice.”

And the American tax payer is happy and proud of what can be accomplished with his hard-earned money!! (I'm sarcastic, because I'm disappointed)

Where is Cindy Sheehan and her gang??

About Gitmo and recent court orders? I'm not up to speed on that, but Wiki gives a brief info statement:

In the spring of 2008, a series of visits by Can. Foreign Affairs officials led K. Amegan and S. Millington to report that Khadr was "salvageable" if allowed to return to society, but that keeping him in the prison would risk radicalizing him.

In June, Canada formally discussed the possibility of repatriating Khadr. It was suggested that Toronto Imam Hamid Slimi could draft a "religious rehabilitation" program, to prepare for Khadr's return.

Now, wouldn't that be nice? I hope it does come about, and rather sooner than later.

 

[dancing-loon]

One more thing, Norm. Did you know about a civil law suit against the Khadr estate?

Civil lawsuit

Sgt. Layne Morris and Sgt. Speer's widow Tabitha, both represented by Donald Winder, filed a civil suit against the estate of Ahmed Said Khadr - claiming that the father's failure to control his son resulted in the loss of Speers' life and Morris' right eye. Since American law doesn't allow civil lawsuits against "acts of war", Speer and Morris relied on the argument that throwing the grenade was an act of terrorism, rather than war. In February 2006, Utah District Court Judge Paul Cassell awarded the plaintiffs $102.6 million in damages, approximately $94 million to Speer and $8 million to Morris,in what he said likely marks the first time terrorist acts have resulted in civil liabilities. It has been suggested that the plaintiffs might collect funds via the U.S. Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, but since the Federal government is not bound by civil rulings, it has refused to release Khadr's frozen assets.

I wonder what those assets are and how the Americans got a hold of them. Bank accounts perhaps?
Well, I wish them luck.

 

[dancing-loon]

Let's not forget little Omar!

Nov 05, 2008 06:17 PM

PM will still have to ask for Khadr's release, U.S. ex-official says

Despite Barack Obama's pledge to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Omar Khadr is not likely to be sent home any time soon unless Ottawa lobbies for his release, says a former top Pentagon official.
Charles "Cully" Stimson, who served as the Pentagon's chief adviser for detainee affairs until his resignation last year, said today that without a call from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it's unlikely Khadr's case would become a priority during Obama's early days in office.
"It needs to be leader of state to leader of state. I can't predict what Obama would do if Harper asked . . .but it would up the ante," Stimson said.

Stimson, now a senior legal fellow at Washington's Heritage Foundation, was the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defence for detainee affairs when other Guantanamo detainees were repatriated, including German-born Murat Kurnaz.

"That took a long time and there were a lot of overtures at lower levels, through my office and slightly above my office, before it got to the president," Stimson recalled.
"My office basically said, `If you want him back, you get (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel to ask, because we're not giving him back.' "
She did, and Kurnaz was transferred to Germany in August 2006.
Eight months later, Australian detainee David Hicks pleaded guilty in a political deal that allowed him to return home to serve a nine-month sentence - leaving Khadr as the sole detainee from a Western nation.

Harper has vowed not to interfere with Khadr's military trial, despite calls to act since the Toronto-born prisoner has been held without trial for more than six years and was only 15 when captured. Trade Minister Stockwell Day reiterated that pledge today to defer to the U.S. concerning Khadr's trial.

Any pressure for Canada to denounce Guantanamo comes from Ottawa's opposition parties and civil rights organisations, not from forces within the Canadian government, says Gar Pardy, a former consular chief with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

"I think everybody's got their heads down on this issue because the Prime Minister has spoken so definitively on that matter and I don't see anybody saying, `But Mr. Prime Minister, you're wrong.' "

So, if Harper's not going to make the call, will Obama?
It's possible he could suspend the war crimes trials now under way, since as a senator he vehemently denounced the Military Commissions Act governing Guantanamo's trials.

Khadr is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 26 — six days after Obama's inauguration.
But halting the military commissions would only be a temporary reprieve until his administration decided how to prosecute Guantanamo detainees.

Obama hasn't been clear but has suggested either moving cases to the U.S. federal courts or to traditional military court martial.

Either way, Stimson says Khadr's case is different from many of the others — such as the recent conviction and light sentence of Osama bin Laden's driver. (Yemeni Salim Hamdan was convicted in August and due to be released Dec. 31).

Khadr is charged with five offences, including murder for allegedly throwing a grenade in Afghanistan that killed 28-year-old U.S. soldier Christopher Speer.

"He's entitled to a fair trial and I hope he gets a fair trial, but when you have blood on your hands it is a far different situation than being the limo driver, in America's eyes," said Stimson, who resigned due to controversy over derogative remarks he made about lawyers representing Guantanamo detainees.

"There is a strain within our criminal justice system and within all American's DNA of retribution . . . Retributive justice is about who we are.
Punishment matters to us. Murder is as big as it gets.


TheStar.com | GTA | PM will still have to ask for Khadr's release, U.S. ex-official says
--------------------------------------
That particular "strain" is definitely part of Harper's DNA!

I hope Khadr can hang in until Obama is in office. It is my solid belief he will pardon and release him.

 

[dancing-loon]

It's been a while and Omar is still not home. Very recently I read an article about General Romeo Dallaire trying hard to have Omar moved to Canada before he has to go to trial, but Harper is still the only stumbling block and will not cooperate.

CTV.ca | Dallaire wants Obama to release Khadr to Canada
or this one...
In The House and Senate: Why won’t Harper bring Khadr home for trial?


Now the story has taken a different twist. First of all they started his trial today in Guantanamo. Out came this piece of info previously kept secret : "It has been stated that Omar, when he was 15 years old and very seriously wounded, saw Canadian Arar in an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan"!

Khadr ID'd Arar as visitor to al Qaeda training camps | Sympatico / MSN News

Is this perhaps why Harper is blocking Omar's return? Does Harper believe Arar lied?

At Khadr's trial in Guantanamo Bay on Monday, Robert Fuller said Toronto-born Khadr had picked out Arar from various ID photographs, during interrogations in 2002. He was 15 years old at the time, and wounded by shrapnel. "He identified him by name," Fuller testified. "He said he had never seen him in Canada."
Arar was deported by U.S. authorities to Syria, where he was tortured for nearly a year until he falsely confessed to being a terrorist. The incident sparked a commission of inquiry in Canada, which publicly cleared him of any links to terrorism.
He was awarded $10.5 million in government compensation. The U.S. government, however, has refused to clear Arar's name, and still lists him as a terror threat.
Arar has staunchly denied ever visiting Afghanistan.
The startling testimony came during Khadr's war-crimes hearing in Guantanamo, where he is accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002.

I urge you to read the full story!

 

[normbc9]

Dl,
If you closely study the sequence of events surrounding the Khadr case the story is always changing. But we never hear from Khadr in person. In this modern era the technology exists to manufacture evidence and make it look and sound believeable. There are masters at this deceptive practice who are US government agents. Their job is to do as they are directed. If they expect to keep the job and the benefits they get it done and in a timely manner. I'm hoping the order to close Gitmo comes soon and this whole tragedy can come to an end. Even if the order is given the next issue is how long will it take to carry the order out fully? The thugs are moving out now but the wreckage they leave behind will be with us for years. Those who have been affected by this administration in a negative way and were wrongly accused are just that. Wreckage. Many who performed the wrong doings were probably in the role of hostages too. Just sheep follwing along . I don't wish to imply that all held at Gitmo are blameless but they are all still being held illegaly and have had little if any chance to speak to a qualified legal counsel.

 

[dancing-loon]

Hi, Norm;
thanks for your continued interest and support of the Khadr thread. I just heard the good news that Obama has suspended the court proceedings against Omar for the next 4 months.
Hallelujah!! Obamas first Brownie point from me!:-D

It is expected negotiations with the Harper Government will come next to have him released to Canada. Ignatief gave a brief statement this morning, saying he and his party have long been wanting for him to come home.
His ordeal might soon be over.

Path now clear for Khadr's repatriation: lawyer | Sympatico / MSN News

Whatever statements, confessions they coerced out of Khadr through physical or psychological torture are worthless in any proper court of law. Like Arar stated, he agreed to anything his torturers wanted to hear, only to stop the pain.

Torture is a crime in itself and should be strongly forbidden. The trouble is the US doesn't care about international laws, they set their own rules as it suits them.

I hope The Hague is still open for them!!

 

[normbc9]

DL,
Appointed people in the US government can really be obstructionists if they choose to be that way. It is my sincere hope Khadr can get home in a timely manner. This saga needs to have a happy ending and now maybe more clear thinkers will get involved actively. In my opinion one of the major reasons this question about this young man is being seen frequently is due to this forum and those who are truly interested in why this injustice started when it did. I still see conflicting media stories about Khadr and that too tells me in some minds this isn't a finished topic yet. Many have never thought that the US was involved in torture and are now being awakened to the fact that it has been in practice for many years. Thanks for keeping Khadr and his situation in front of us.

 

[Praxius]

Related News:

U.S. judge halts proceedings against Omar Khadr
U.S. judge halts proceedings against Omar Khadr
PM has 'no excuse' for refusing Khadr's return to Canada, says defence lawyer

The U.S. military judge presiding over Canadian Omar Khadr's war-crimes case at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, granted an adjournment on Wednesday of 120 days at the request of the new administration of President Barack Obama.

The decisions cast doubt over the controversial U.S. military commissions process and brought fresh calls for the Canadian government to intervene on behalf of the Toronto-born Khadr and have him repatriated to Canada.

The adjournment ordered by Col. Patrick Parrish does not withdraw the charges against Khadr or expunge any evidence presented against him at this week's pretrial hearings, the CBC's Susan Ormiston reported Wednesday from Guantanamo Bay.

Khadr's defence team had wanted Parrish to stay the charges, but did not oppose the prosecution motion to suspend the proceedings.

Khadr, now 22 and the only Westerner remaining in detention at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, is accused of killing an American soldier in Afghanistan in July 2002 when he was just 15.

Lt.-Cmdr. William Kuebler, Khadr's military-appointed lawyer, told CBC News he believes the adjournment signifies "the end" of Khadr's case before the controversial military commissions process at Guantanamo Bay.

"I really don’t think that the Obama administration wants to put itself in the position of being the first administration in U.S. history to try a child for war crimes," Kuebler said in an interview.

"So my guess is however this works out, even if there is some revised or revamped … military commission process, I don’t think Omar Khadr will be part of that process going forward."

Trial of 9/11 co-accused also halted

Obama, who has said he would like to end the military commissions process and close the prison at Guantanamo, issued a request within hours of his swearing-in Tuesday for a temporary halt to all legal proceedings against Khadr and the other 244 detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Just hours after Khadr's case was adjourned, another military judge also halted proceedings in the separate case of the five accused conspirators in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Among the accused is the alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has claimed responsibility for the crimes in front of the commission and expressed a desire to be made a "martyr."

The CIA has admitted to subjecting Mohammed to waterboarding, or drowning and resuscitation, a practice legal experts, human rights groups and even some within the military commission process set up by former president George W. Bush have condemned as torture.

Guantanamo a 'disgrace': Ignatieff

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff on Wednesday reiterated his call for the Conservative government to intervene in Khadr's case.

"Our party has said for a year that Canada has to repatriate Khadr, and that we have to close Guantanamo," Ignatieff said in French at a news conference in Montreal. "I love the United States, but Guantanamo is a disgrace."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has remained firm on his position not to intervene in Khadr's case, saying a judicial process is underway.

But Khadr's lawyer said the adjournment should hasten the return of Khadr to Canada, and that the prime minister can no longer "hide behind" that argument.

"There is now no excuse, no reason whatsoever, for the prime minister not to do what really in our view has always been the right thing and intervene and get Omar Khadr, this Canadian citizen, back to Canada for the help and support that he needs," Kuebler said.

Khadr is accused of:

• Murder in violation of the law of war.
• Attempted murder in violation of the law of war.
• Conspiracy.
• Providing material support for terrorism.
• Spying.

His legal team has said evidence presented against him was coerced through aggressive interrogation, as well as torture.

Harper sure is one scum bag if I ever saw one. Every other nation has fought to get their citizens back home, except him. He continually hides behind the excuse that a judicial process is underway, even though it has been a sham since Day 1.

One more reason why Harper is not fit to be Prime Minister.