Foreign Minister Mlanie Joly says Cameroon peace talks 'messy' but should continue

Foreign Affairs Minister Mlanie Joly gave no explanation Tuesday for Cameroon claiming it never sought Canada's help in peace talks. She said Ottawa still wants to broker a deal.

"Peace processes are always messy and take time, and this is a conflict that has been going for 40 years," Joly told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet retreat in Hamilton.

"Our goal is to be patient and to take a deep breath."

Ottawa announced last Friday that it has been leading discussions between the government of Cameroon and separatist groups, who have been in a conflict that has violently escalated in recent years. Joly's office saysthree meetings have taken placealreadyin Ontario and Quebec.

"We were approached by the Cameroon government, and we also had a UN representative present during the mediation," Joly said Tuesday.

The Cameroon government said on Monday that it had never sought any external mediator.