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INUIT FEARFUL OF MISSILE DEFENCE
(Nuuk, Greenland)-- The Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), an organization representing the
world's 152,000 Inuit in Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Russia, has major
concerns about USA plans for deployment of their so-called "National
Missile Defence" (NMD). The NMD will mean new military infrastructure
in several places across the Arctic, the first planned for the USA's Air
Force base in northern Greenland.
Circumpolar Inuit have developed, through ICC's Principles and Elements for
a Comprehensive Arctic Policy, several statements about peace, disarmament
and Arctic security. These principles and elements have direct
implications for the proposed NMD. The following are some of
these principles:
- "...the continuation of the arms race has serious negative consequences
for peace, development, and the social advancement of >nations and peoples,
especially those most in need."
- "Cooperative agreements among States to establish ... defence
arrangements should expressly specify that participation in these
activities does not involve any commitment to take part in an active
ballistic missile defence arrangement."
- "...ensure full compliance, by States, with existing international
conventions promoting peace, global security, disarmament, and arms
control."
- "... strict adherence is required to ... the 1972 Treaty Between the
United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the
Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems."
- "Environmental and social impact assessment procedures must be mandatory
for proposed defence-related projects or activities, which may cause
adverse environmental or social impacts within Inuit circumpolar regions."
When asked to comment on the NMD, Aqqaluk Lynge, President of the Inuit
Circumpolar Conference, pointed to these principles. "Our Arctic Policy
and the principles and elements contained in them are our guide. We
developed them at the grass-roots level over a period of several years and
when I look at them, I clearly see that our people want us to be very, very
cautious about the NMD." In fact, Mr. Lynge worries that the provocative
nature of the NMD may result in Russia, China and other countries
increasing their nuclear warhead capacity in response to the NMD umbrella
covering the 50 USA states.
"The NMD is a unilateral, one-country plan and not multi-lateral," Mr.
Lynge said. "Because it violates the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between
Russia and the USA, I fear that other non-proliferation agreements may fall
as well. And then we will be back in a very dangerous Cold War situation
again, except with many more players eager to join this new race."
Although the USA maintains that its NMD is meant for defence only, many
nations are sceptical. Some observers maintain that even if it is simply a
defence system, it will nevertheless provoke others to increase their
capabilities and a whole new era of building bigger weapons which
can penetrate better defence systems will materialize.
Mr. Lynge reiterated that ICC's position is clear on the NMD by referring
again to ICC's Principles and Elements. "We maintain that a thorough
environmental and social impact assessment must be carried out with our
full and active input." The ICC also stresses that multi-lateral or global
approaches, rather than unilateral ones, have the best chance of
successfully keeping the nuclear threat at bay.
The Greenland Government is concerned about the first step in the NMD plan,
which is to expand the military infrastructure at the USA Air Force base in
Thule, Greenland. The mayor of Thule said the people of his village are
scared and are unanimous in their opposition to the NMD. ICC
Vice-President Uusaqqak Qujaukitsoq, a hunter from the Thule region, stated
that "in the event of a conflict, we will surely be the first target." The
Greenland Government has demanded of the Danish and USA governments to
fully inform Greenland of all plans and have Greenland included in any and
all talks. This request has been met with silence. ICC fully supports the
Greenland Government in its position regarding the Thule Air Base.
Finally Mr. Lynge noted that the "existing military infrastructure in our
Inuit homeland was installed during the Cold War without consulting Inuit
because both former superpowers treated the Arctic as an uninhabited
wasteland, and without recognizing that we actively use and occupy this
land." Mr. Lynge expressed concern that the NMD is another, albeit post
Cold War, example of ignoring the inhabitants of the Arctic.
For more information please contact:
Inuit Circumpolar Conference Head Office
Dronning Ingridsvej 1
P.O. Box 204
Dk-3900 Nuuk Greenland
Tel: +299 32 36 32
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