VANCOUVER - The Musqueam Indian band has approved a controversial land deal with the British Columbia government that resolves three outstanding court cases.

Chief Judith Sayers, of the First Nations Summit, congratulated the Musqueam and said she hopes government will now understand that it cannot act alone when making decisions about land in dispute.

"We hope the governments will finally recognize that the legal landscape has shifted,'' she said.

"First Nations in B.C. should not be forced, as Musqueam was, to litigate as a means to prompt negotiations.''

Musqueam members voted 98 per cent in favour of The Reconciliation, Settlement and Benefits Agreement -- overwhelming support that pleased Aboriginal Affairs Minister Mike de Jong.

However, the agreement is separate from the Musqueam's ongoing treaty negotiations.

"I wouldn't suggest that a final comprehensive treaty is going to happen next month, but this is a significant step in terms of taking a step that in the past, was characterized by an adversarial litigation-based approach,'' de Jong said.

"We believe. . . that this is a major step forward.''

The agreement puts an end to three court cases, including a dispute from 2003 over the sale of the University of B.C. Golf Course lands and the transfer of lands under the River Rock casino to Richmond's Bridgepoint lands.

The popular golf course is in Premier Gordon Campbell's riding and when the deal was proposed last year, it prompted a backlash from some of the premier's staunchest supporters.

The Musqueam will also receive two parcels of land amounting to 22 hectares from Pacific Spirit Park, a municipal area crisscrossed with trails used by hikers, cyclists and horseback riders.

As well, the band will receive $20.3 million in cash and title to the seven hectares of land beneath the River Rock Casino, also on Musqueam traditional lands but located on the Fraser River in Richmond, south of Vancouver.

"It's a significant agreement,'' said de Jong.

"Cash and land involved in an area of the province where there isn't that much land.''