Since 1721 Greenland has been a Danish colony. Twenty five years ago, Greenland was allowed internal autonomy and now, they seem to be indicating that
they wish true independence. They see a potential ally in the United States. The US recently concluded an agreement to modernize the large military
base in Thule. The Deputy Prime Minister of Greenland, Josef Motzfeldt, has pointed out that President Bush sent a letter requesting cooperation from
Greenland’s local government regarding the base and other issues, he bypassed the traditional route of going through Copenhagen. The government feels
that the United States view them as an equal “partner” and added that Denmark does not.
news.yahoo.com
NUUK, Greenland (AFP) - After 25 years of internal autonomy, the icy Danish territory of Greenland has set its sights on true independence, hoping
that talks on the modernization of a US military base on the island may have helped nudge it closer to its goal.
Greenland, which became a Danish colony in 1721, aspires to "before the 300th anniversary of the colonialization ... be capable of becoming master of
its own destiny," deputy prime minister of Greenland Josef Motzfeldt told AFP.
Greenlanders have long felt that along with Denmark, the US, with its military base at Thule in the northwestern part of the island, has too much say
over their internal affairs.
Following an agreement on the modernization of the base last month however, Greenlanders have begun seeing the superpower across the Atlantic as a
potential ally in their quest for self-determination.
"It was (US Secretary of State) Colin Powell who demanded that we sit at the negotiating table during the (ongoing) overhaul of the 1951
Danish-American Defense Treaty concerning Greenland, to the great surprise of Denmark's foreign minister," Motzfeldt said.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
Denmark has resisted previous efforts at independence. However, it has recently agreed to an "autonomy commission" made up of politicians from both
sides. This commission will look into allowing Greenland sovereignty on issues like justice, foreign policy and natural resource management. This last
measure may be critical. Currently Denmark supplies 57% of the Greenland budget ($494 Million US) and they will need to be able to cover those
expenses if they do gain their independence. There is hopes that oil, along with recently discovered precious minerals, and tourism will help make up
the difference. One other looming decision that Greenland faces is the question of allowing the United States to place radar installations that would
be critical to its missile defense plans.
|
This is awesome, I was stationed at Thule Air Base for a year back in 2002 and it could use some modernization. I mean everything was in trailors.
You are right about the oil from greenland. There is a lot of oil in greenland but mining for it is a little hard since the whole island is one big
glacier.
|
