May
9, 2003
Denmark and Greenland could settle on NMD next week
SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS SERVICE
NUUK - Denmark and Greenland are close to a deal that would pave the way for
the U.S. to upgrade the Thule air base, as part of the missile defence shield
the U.S. wants to build.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Hans Enoksen expected the agreement to be signed
next week in the tiny seal-fishing community of Itilleq, Enoksen's home community.
Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Per Stig Møller said he planned to visit
Greenland this week to meet with Enoksen and review proposals that would give
more autonomy to Greenland in international affairs. Enoksen wants this settled
before accepting any changes to the 1951 Danish-American Defence Agreement on
Thule.
As part of any Thule upgrade into a missile defence site, Greenlandic politicians
are also demanding that the U.S. clean up Thule's 50 contaminated dump sites.
Hingitaq 53, the group that represents Greenlanders relocated to make room
for Thule in the 1950s, also wants its legal case for compensation to be settled
before any deal on Thule goes ahead.
|