Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew said Thursday that his government would not participate in US plans to deploy the anti-missile shield which had been highly unpopular in Canada.

"The Canadians have informed us of their decision. We take note of it," said a State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"We certainly hope that despite the decision we'll still be able to continue our broad range of cooperation on bilateral issues, including on defense cooperation," the official said.

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