The US Will Not Pay for Its Bases in Greenland
Source: iStock.com/FrankRamspott
The Foreign and Security Policy Committee of the Greenland Parliament has finished its review of the agreement with the US. They recommend the establishment of a follow-up group comprising all political parties.
GREENLAND AND TRUMPSeries · 15 posts
- Trump Policy Threatens the Europeans and Gives Russia a Breath?
- The Battle for Greenland
- The Battle For Greenland: Beyond The US
- A Probable Scenario For The US Takeover Of Greenland
- Greenland's Takeover Issue: The EU Refrain—Not Possible
- How a 'Piece of Ice' Froze the Atlantic Alliance
- EU and US Are Dividing Greenland Right Now
- Europe Is Trying to Close the Door Between Greenland and the US
- US Engineers Survey Narsarsuaq as Danish F-35s Land in Greenland
- Denmark Tries to Keep Greenland with More Money
- Mysterious Greenland Agreement to Be Signed at the UN Today
- The US Expands Its Footprint in Greenland
- Greenlandic Party Demands Political Control in New Defense Agreement
- Different Interpretations of the Greenland Deal
- The US Will Not Pay for Its Bases in Greenland
This is stated in the committee report, which has been published ahead of the second reading of the agreement on Tuesday, November 3.
All parties except Siumut are voting members of the committee. However, given the extraordinary nature of the matter, the committee invited Siumut to participate in the review process.
The coalition parties—Demokraatit, Inuit Ataqatigiit, and Atassut—recommend that the committee’s proposal be adopted. Only Naleraq does not support the committee’s proposal.
All Parties—Without Exception
In its review, the committee emphasizes that the agreement itself cannot be altered, as the three heads of government have already signed the text.
However, the committee can make recommendations regarding the next steps.
USPU urges the Government of Greenland to establish a political follow-up group. This group is intended to ensure broad political involvement in the drafting of supplementary agreements.
The follow-up group is to consist of all parties represented in the Parliament of Greenland, regardless of their size.
Furthermore, the committee urges the Government to shed light on the societal and economic implications associated with the proposal. This applies to the areas of the economy, education, business, the environment, dual-use, and the local population.
At the same time, the Government is urged to inform the Parliament about the status of the agreement’s implementation at least once a year.
Naleraq’s Criticism
As Naleraq has chosen not to vote alongside the rest of the committee, they have drafted an extensive minority statement outlining their criticism.
Among other points, the criticism highlights that the agreement fails to ensure that the US makes payments to the national treasury for the right to maintain bases.
During the first reading, Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that the US never put any money on the table during the negotiations.
In its minority statement, Naleraq now notes that Múte B. Egede, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, reportedly informed the committee that Greenland had attempted to secure payment from the US during the negotiations—but without success.
Furthermore, the agreement does not mandate the use of Greenlandic companies to service the bases; instead, it allows for the use of Danish or foreign-owned companies that have a presence in Greenland.
In this context, the party refers to the 2014 scandal, in which a Danish-American firm won the service contract for Pituffik Space Base.
Additionally, the opposition party had hoped that the US would assume responsibility for cleaning up after itself at the old bases.
Finally, Naleraq finds it objectionable that there is no support for holding a referendum.
Source: KNR (in Danish)