Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Isssues Statement on July 9th Meeting with Canada Border Services Agency
Ohiarihko:wa/July 10, 2009AKWESASNE - On Thursday, July 9th, representatives of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) traveled to Ottawa for a meeting with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on the border issues. The following is a statement issued by MCA Grand Chief Michael Mitchell in response to yesterday's discussion with the CBSA:
"While we are close to an agreement on settling the matter to open a temporary customs facility on the Cornwall side, there are still some crucial issues that the two sides have to agree to resolve. We will agree to resume discussions early in the coming week.
While we recognize it is CBSA's decision to open a temporary customs facility in Cornwall, it will still require support from the Mohawk community to ensure that proper protocol is honored and followed. The Akwesasne community's safety and assurance of proper conduct of customs personnel is crucial to this understanding and will serve as a basis for our future relationship.
While we have a general agreement, there are specific areas that have to be clear for both sides to understand and be committed to it; for this reason, MCA delays support for a temporary station until such time that everything is clearly understood by both sides.
The CBSA seems to have a difficult time understanding what we have agreed to in face-to-face talks. Not to jeopardize the temporary reopening of the bridge, MCA will make every reasonable effort to ensure that there is clarity of our understanding. For this reason we choose not to report the specific points raised or discussed in direct discussions with CBSA officials. We will continue to work diligently to reach an agreement that can be honored and respected."
