"Protesters Move Away From Gates Of Park"

Ipperwash Beach, Ont.

Rebel Chippewa began negotiating with police Thursday as they stopped guarding entrances to Ipperwash Provincial Park.

Early reports said the rebels had left the park, which they've occupied since Labor Day in a standoff marked by the death of an aboriginal protester during a confrontation with police.

But Tom Bressette, chief of the Kettle and Stony Point band to which the rebels belong, said Thursday night the protesters had only moved deeper inside the park, away from the gates where they had blocked access.

The move was a gesture of goodwill as aboriginal leaders from across Ontario continued negotiating an end to the standoff, Bressette said.

"The people... have withdrawn into the park," he said. "They're maintaining security from in there.

"It's a gesture of good faith with (provincial police) that they'd like to get this thing resolved. They want some kind of commitment before they'll leave.