By L.F. Brown
20 October 2004
"We have to swallow pretty large-sized camels to achieve our goals."
Greenland is caught in quite a vicious circle. When the social-democratic Siumut (“Forward”) party and the socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit (“Inuit Brotherhood”) party formed a coalition government in 2002, independence from Denmark seemed a little step closer. The Siumut party got 28.7% of the votes, retaining their leading party status, with their leader Hans Enoksen clinching the Prime Minister post. The Inuit Ataqatigiit party received 25.5% of the votes, with their leader Josef Motzfeldt (not to be confused with Greenland’s first PM, Jonathan Motzfeldt, who held the post from 1979 to 1991 and from 1997 to 2002) becoming Deputy Prime Minister. With widespread public support for independence, the two parties, who both have advocated for more local control over the world's largest island, put aside various public political spats and decided to hold a referendum on the matter in 2005.
Denmark, which has control over Greenland's foreign affairs, defence, justice system, as well as its mineral and oil resource management, favours granting the already semi-autonomous Greenland more autonomy but is not willing to go all the way by giving it sovereignty and thus true independence. Greenland (population 56,000) was officially a colony of Denmark from 1814 (when Norway was separated from Denmark after the Napoleonic Wars) until 1953, when it was incorporated into the Kingdom, with home rule status being granted in 1979.
While support in Greenland for independence is broad, many are of the opinion that only once the country is able to stand on its own two feet economically should independence be sought. The crutch is Danish aid, which will make up 57% (at about US$8,670 per person) of Greenland’s 2005 budget. A recently set up joint Greenland-Denmark commission has been looking into ways that Greenland can dramatically cut down on government spending and government involvement in providing jobs, reduce their dependence on fishing, and instead concentrate on mining, oil and tourism. As long as the current standard of living is not damaged, most locals would then be keen for a split from the Danes.
The United States’ Thule military base in the northwest, which has been around since 1953 and was the subject of a defence treaty signed in 1951 between Denmark and the US, is seen as another potential source of income for Greenland. It was once a key installation during the Cold War, housing up to 10,000 mainly American personnel, along with fighter jets and bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, taking up several-hundred square kilometres of space. While Greenland was promised that nuclear weapons would not be kept there, a secret memo was found in the 1990s contradicting that promise. It now only has about 550 personnel, 150 of them Americans. But it is still important, serving as a key radar facility and listening post, capable of covering 5000 kilometres (including Russian territory). And in August the US, Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement that would allow modernisation of the base’s radar facilities, which can detect Ballistic Missiles as well as Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. But, as before, there was no agreement for the US to pay for its use of the base. Also missing was an agreement to clean up the mess caused by previously held US bases, although it was agreed that from then on there would be environmental and technical cooperation, as well as the chance of increased economic and trade ties.
The US military base has always been a hot potato in Greenland. When the base was completed in 1953 the Danish government relocated a local Inuit community away from their traditional hunting and fishing grounds. Fifty years later, the 900-strong community is still fighting the move. Last year the Danish Supreme Court upheld a court case that had been brought against Danish authorities, with a small payout given in compensation. Not satisfied, they took the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg earlier this year. The US had already given back some of the surrounding areas to Danish and local authorities.
There is huge controversy over the prospect that the Thule base could be used in the future as part of the proposed national missile defence system, which the US hopes would be able to intercept missiles, this possibly making Greenland a more obvious target. After the agreement was signed US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that, at this point, the US is “just interested in the software and minor hardware improvements to the system that Greenland is aware of and that Denmark is aware of.” Deputy PM Josef Motzfeldt was quoted as saying that “we haven't said 'yes' to the use (of modernized radar installations) in this missile defense system, which would call for new negotiations." The new agreement states that the US must “consult and inform Denmark and Greenland prior to the implementation of any significant changes to the United States military operations or facilities in Greenland.” Mr Powell then went on to say the “United States and Greenland and the Home Rule government, we are friends and partners and what we want to do is consult. We don't want to do anything that would put at risk a very strong relationship that we've had for these many, many years. So I think the word "consult" means just that, consult, and try to reach accommodation on any issue that might be in dispute, as we have done over the years.”
And while there is great trepidation over how the Thule base may develop in the future, and the influence that the US already has had over Greenland’s internal affairs, it is the world’s greatest power that seems to be Greenland’s greatest ally in their quest for independence, with Deputy PM Josef Motzfeldt having noted a recent shift in the diplomatic winds (Greenland looks to US in quest for independence, Agence France-Presse, 26 September 2004):
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.
"Washington recognizes us as an equal partner, which is not yet the case with Denmark," he added, pointing out that US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) after taking power in 2001 had even sent a letter requesting closer cooperation on the Thule base and other issues directly to Greenland's local government, and not, as tradition dictates, through Copenhagen.
As I said. And how do you square one?
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