Cannon
told reporters after speaking to the House of Commons foreign
affairs committee that there would be a "great deal
of validity" in speaking with the rebels.
"The
objective here obviously is to be able to put an end to
the violence that's taking place and looking at diplomatic
solutions to make sure … Canadians, as well as other
foreign nationals, get out of there safely and that we do
restore peace."
Liberal
foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said earlier Monday that
the world needs to isolate Gadhafi so he's forced to step
down.
"We
need to establish diplomatic contact and contact with the
Libyan National Council, have direct contact with them and
know what they are doing, and we need to be engaging directly
with Arab League and African Union to discuss the further
steps we need to take to assist in the defeat and the overthrow
of Col. Gadhafi," he said.
CBC News has learned that there are no plans so far to send
Canadian ground troops to Libya.
Meanwhile,
Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown plans to stop at Gibraltar
on Wednesday to refuel. It's still unclear what the ship
will do when it arrives at the Libyan coast on Friday,March
04, 2011.
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