'It's a whole new situation we are facing.'

Inuit leaders from across the circumpolar world will gather in Kuujjuaq in November to plan a response to the scramble for territory and resources by Arctic states.

"We're planning a sovereignty workshop and inviting Inuit representatives from the circumpolar Arctic to get together to discuss sovereignty issues from an Inuit perspective," said Duane Smith, president of the Canadian chapter of the Inuit Circumpolar Council.

Smith said climate change, the prospect of regular trans-Arctic shipping, and a growing interest in exploiting natural resources mean Inuit have to find ways to protect their culture.

The meeting, scheduled for early November, will also feature experts with "knowledge on sovereignty issues, and circumpolar Arctic issues," Smith said.

He added ICC has heard from governments interested in attending, but said organizers are unsure how much they want nation-states to be involved.

"We're trying to ensure the focus is on it from an Inuit perspective," Smith said.

ICC Canada was upset it was left out of the Canadian delegation to a recent conference of Arctic states in Ilulissat, Greenland.

That meeting produced a declaration proclaiming that Arctic states could work out territorial disputes through existing international treaties.

But the meeting only included the five states with Arctic coasts: Canada, the United States, Russia, Norway and Denmark, prompting complaints the countries were simply dividing polar spoils.

Canadian observers also criticized the Conservative government for sending Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, instead Maxime Bernier, who was then the Foreign Affairs minister.

The Danish delegation included Inuit representation in the person of Aqqaluk Lynge, president of ICC Greenland.

Inuit need to press governments to recognize the Inuit presence in the Arctic, and ensure Inuit benefit from economic development on their land, Lynge said in a telephone interview from Copenhagen, Denmark.

"It's a whole new situation we are facing and up until now we have been very loyal to our governments," he said.

Disputes over territory, such as Canada's spat with Denmark over tiny Hans Island, squeeze Inuit out of the discussion, Lynge said.

Inuit were in the North long before Western-style borders were, he said, so it's important that "international cooperation that takes place among Inuit is something that governments also recognize."