Afghan records talks continue Tuesday

Representatives from all four federal parties met Monday afternoon in Ottawa but failed to finalize a deal on access to uncensoreddocuments related to Afghan detainee transfers.

They have agreed to continue their talks Tuesday.

In a scrum, Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said everyone has agreedto meet again Tuesdayafternoon on Parliament Hill "to keep the sense of momentum going." He declined to say what theoutstanding issues were.

The NDP's Joe Comartin told reporters that if there's no deal Tuesday, "it's over" as far as negotiations are concerned.

Opposition leaders have accused the Conservativegovernment of dragging its heels intalkstogive MPs access touncensored documents related totheCanadian military'stransfer of prisonersto Afghan custody.

The NDP and Bloc Qubcois have threatened to delay funding for this month's G8 and G20 summits if a deal isn't reached, while Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff saidPrime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives keep "inventing excuses" to avoid dealing with the matter.

Ignatieff, during Monday's question period, challenged the prime minister to instruct his representatives to reach a deal by the end of the day.

The Liberal leaderreminded the House that it has been seven weeks since Speaker Peter Milliken ruled the government breached parliamentary privilege by refusing to produce the uncensored documents to MPs.

"How long will this stalling go on?" Ignatieff said. "When will they sit down and do the business and respect the will of Parliament and the will of the Speaker?"

Responding for the government, Justice Minister Rob Nicholsoninsistedthe parties have made progressin previous meetings and that Conservative representatives have always been ready to sign a deal.

"We've been very clear; we'll do nothing to compromise national security and we'll certainly do nothing that would jeopardize the men and women who serve us in uniform," Nicholson said.

"But I continue to be optimistic at this point that an agreement will be reached."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said the Conservatives were trying to "run out the clock" to prevent MPs from getting access todocuments that would "tell the truth about torture in Afghanistan."

Layton then challenged the prime minister to meet other party leaders face to face on Monday night and hash out a deal.

In his response, Nicholson invited Layton and "his coalition partner" in reference to Ignatieff to attend Monday's scheduled meeting.

7 weeks since Speaker's ruling

In his ruling,Milliken called on all parties to reach a compromise on the documents that would respect Parliament's right to review the material, while also ensuring national security concerns are addressed.

The parties hadcome to a tentativeagreementfour weeks ago to havea committee ofMPs take an oath of confidentialityand examine unredacted documents to determine whetherthe materialwas relevant to allegations that Afghan authorities tortured prisoners that were handed over by Canadian troops.

Under the compromise, documents deemed relevant would then be passed on to a panel of experts who would determine how to release the information to all MPs and the public "without compromising national security."

But theConservatives are reportedly pushing to keep some records out of MPs' hands on the grounds of national security.

Without a deal,the Bloc and NDP signalled they are prepared to forge ahead with a process that could tie up the House and all its work until Parliament's summer break, which could come as early as Thursday.