Top politician: "We would have said no - it would have been like slave trade"
Updated 14.39 | Published 14.39
Denmark does not have a mandate to sell Greenland. That's what top Danish politician Lars-Christian Brask says.
If it had been possible, the answer would still be a resounding no.
- It would be like slavery - that's out of the question, says Lars-Christian Brask.
The fact that US Vice President JD Vance hosted the fateful meeting in Washington worried both Danes and Greenlanders. The fear was that Vance, who has been called a ”flame thrower ” in the press, could whip up the mood.
Danish top politician Lars-Christian Brask (LA), deputy chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee, tells Aftonbladet about the atmosphere:
– It was professional. Lars Løkke, our Foreign Minister, has said that it was a straightforward discussion, says Lars-Christian Brask.
A decision was made to set up a working group at a high diplomatic level to deal with the US interest in Greenland. The group will meet within a couple of weeks.
– It is the right way to do it. Getting a working peace is the most important thing. Instead of diplomacy in social media.
It's a red line
According to an in American NBC, American experts articel have been tasked with determining how much it would cost to buy Greenland. The sum is between 5,250 billion and 7,350 billion.
Can a huge amount of money change your attitude?
– No, it's about a people. It's about people being born and raised in their country. It would be like slavery. Moreover, it's not up to Denmark to do it. That's up to Greenland.
Lars-Christian Brask represents the opposition Liberal Alliance party in the Folketing – but says that in this serious moment all parties are behind the government.
Brask points out that the US can already place the bases and military installations it wants. That possibility has existed since 1951.
– But if they want ownership, there's a red line. There's no discussion.
Soldiers: a theoretical threat
Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is threatened by both China and Russia. Therefore, the US must take over. That reasoning does not buy Brask. The US already has soldiers in place and has all the capabilities, he says.
Does this also appiy to rare earth metals and important minerals?
– If it makes business sense and according to environmental requirements, that is also possible.
On Wednesday, Kristersson announced that Sweden is sending several officers to Greenland.
Brask confirms that the island has now received military reinforcements from Germany, Norway and Sweden.
How does it work with the American soldiers who are already there. Don't they pose a possible threat to Creenland's independence?
– Theoretically, they could be a threat. But they are in the very north at Pituffik Space Base. They are far from the capital Nuuk where the power, such as the government and the media, is located. It is thousands of kilometers away so it would take a long time to get there.
– I do not see it as likely that NATO soldiers would intervene against other NATO soldiers, given our cooperation and the fact that we have supported the United States in two important wars: Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Friday, another unusual meeting will take place. Then the United States will arrive in Copenhagen for a meeting with the Foreign Policy Committee.
The senators have invited themselves to Denmark.
– There is a genuine interest on their part to understand what is happening.
What will you discuss during the meeting?
– We will emphasize that Denmark and the United States have had diplomatic relations for over two hundred years and have supported each other in important wars and are an important member of NATO – therefore it is completely unacceptable to threaten to take part of the Danish Kingdom.
“If the United States wants ownership, there is a red line. There is no discussion,” says Lars-Christian Brask.
FACTS
This is Pituffik space base
On the northwest coast, about 1,500 kilometers from the Greenlandic capital Nuuk, is the Pituffik space base. About 150 American soldiers are stationed there. According to the 1951 Greenland Defense Treaty, the United States has the right to operate the base within a NATO framework. Provided that both Denmark and the United States are NATO members.
The United States has the right to fly its flag on the base, but according to the treaty, the Danish national flag must also be flown to acknowledge that the base is located on Danish territory.
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