Canada govt in disarray over Afghan abuse scandal

Ottawa, Apr 27: Canada's government descended into disarray over an Afghan abuse scandal after ministers openly contradicted each other over allegations that Taliban suspects captured by Canadian soldiers had been tortured by local police.

The case is rapidly becoming the biggest crisis to hit the minority Conservative government since it took power after the January 2006 election.

When allegations of abuse first aired on Monday, Ottawa referred to them as rumors.

The government then said it would press Kabul for answers before Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor announced late on Wednesday that Canadian officials had concluded an agreement with Afghan authorities to allow monitoring of prisoners that had been handed over.

This came as a surprise to the foreign minister and chief of the defense staff, who said they were unaware of a deal.

The picture became murkier yesterday when Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the House of Commons that ''we will conclude a formal agreement'', indicating no deal had yet been done.

Then Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day stood up and revealed for the first time that officers from Canada's prison service had already had access to the main prison in Kandahar.

''The Taliban has been told, trained and instructed to lie if asked about being tortured. As a matter of fact, Taliban are told directly to say they were tortured even if they were not.

That makes it difficult,'' Day said.

Opposition politicians expressed anger and confusion about what they said was a continually changing tale.

''Why was this information, these so-called facts, not brought up in this House before? What is going on here? Are we seeing fabrication on the fly?'' asked Jack Layton, leader of the left-leaning New Democratic Party.

Opposition politicians demanded O'Connor's resignation on the grounds he was incompetent and had misled Parliament.

O'Connor was in the House of Commons but did not answer a single question put to him.

''Does the minister honestly think Canadians are buying any of this? Why should Canadians trust anything the government tells them about this mission?'' said Robert Thibault of the Liberals.

Canada has 2,500 soldiers in the Kandahar region as part of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.

The Globe and Mail newspaper published a secret internal report on Wednesday showing the government was aware last year that detainees were regularly abused in Afghanistan.

International conventions prohibit a country from handing over prisoners if there is reason to suspect possible abuse.

One leading expert on international law says if the allegations are proven, then Canada is guilty of war crimes.

Such talk infuriated Harper, who said the Liberals were willing ''to exaggerate any charge against the Canadian military as they fight these fanatics and killers who are called the Taliban. It is a disgrace.'' Opposition leaders said afterward they were bewildered.

''You get the impression that every time you ask them a question they invent another answer,'' said Michael Ignatieff, deputy head of the Liberals.

Layton and Gilles Duceppe, leader of the separatist Bloc Quebecois, have already mused about possibly trying to bring down the government over the issue. Liberals say they are not yet prepared to go so far.

Reuters>