OTTAWA - Convicted terrorist Omar Khadr's legal team is pressuring the Conservative government to make good on his transfer to Canada.

Khadr's lawyers accuse the government of stonewalling despite pressure from the U.S. to repatriate him.

"Omar has lived up to his end of the deal," John Norris, one of Khadr's Canadian lawyers, said during a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday.

He said Canada had ample time to prepare for Khadr's transfer, so it's "a mystery" why the federal government hasn't signed off on it yet.

Norris was flanked by Khadr's three other lawyers from the U.S. and Canada and Liberal Sen. Romeo Dallaire.

Lt.-Col. Jon Jackson, Khadr's U.S. legal representative, said his client's top concern is to be repatriated.
"He is a good kid and he deserves a chance at life," he said.

His Canadian lawyer also confirmed the $10-million civil suit against the government is stalled but still going ahead.

Khadr's personal transfer application has been on Public Safety Minister Vic Toews' desk since March 2011.

The minister received the formal application from the U.S. in April.

On Wednesday, Toews confirmed a decision had yet to be made on Khadr's transfer and that it would come in due time.

A 2010 diplomatic note indicated Canada is "inclined to favourably consider" Khadr's transfer from the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but the law still requires Toews to consider several factors, including whether Khadr would pose a security threat.

Khadr, 25, was born in Canada. He pleaded guilty in 2010 to murder and other terrorism-related charges after he admitted throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002. Thanks to a plea deal, he was sentenced to serve eight years in prison.

Earlier this month, the UN committee against torture chided the Conservative government for its treatment of Khadr and urged Canada to repatriate him immediately.