Canada says it has surely done enough for a young Canadian national, government lawyers argued Tuesday. The 21-year old Omar Khadr is held at the US prison Guantanamo Bay as it appealed a court order to repatriate him.

Omar Khadr was arrested in Afghanistan in July 2002 when he was 15 years old. Allegedly, he threw a grenade that killed a US soldier. A charge he has denied.

In April, a federal court ordered Ottawa to ask US authorities to repatriate this last remaining Westerner at the prison. They ruled that Canada's steadfast refusal to intervene in the case infringed on his constitutional rights.

The government is appealing the order. It also claims meddles in its authority over Canada's foreign affairs. "If there is a principal of fundamental justice that requires Canada to take steps to protect someone in Khadr's circumstances. Canada has done so," government lawyers say in a legal brief.

They went on to say that Canada "took many steps to secure Khadr's well-being," such as securing medical help, requesting he be segregated from adult detainees, which was denied, and providing him with educational materials.

There are no principals in law compelling the government to provide diplomatic protections or consular services to nationals abroad, the brief added.

Ottawa has so far rejected pressure from opposition MPs, rights groups and others to bring Khadr home, saying repeatedly it would wait for the US proceedings to play out.

It has maintained that Khadr faces "serious accusations in the United States."

(Source AFP)