Greenland party leaders call Trump’s behaviour ‘unacceptable’

COPENHAGEN: The leaders of all Greenland´s political parties on Friday denounced US President Donald Trump´s vow to take over the Danish autonomous island.

“We -- all party leaders -- cannot accept the repeated statements about annexation and control of Greenland,” the leaders of Greenland´s five parliamentary parties said in a joint statement posted on Facebook.

“We as party leaders find this behaviour unacceptable towards friends and allies in a defence alliance,” they said, following an emergency meeting. The party leaders added that they “must emphasise that Greenland continues the work for Greenland that is already underway through diplomatic channels in accordance with international laws and regulations.

“We all stand behind these efforts and strongly reject attempts to create division,” they said. Asked by reporters in the White House on Thursday about taking over the island, Trump said: “I think it will happen.”

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte who was meeting him at the time refused to be drawn. Greenland´s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede responded by saying “enough is enough”. “This time we need to toughen our rejection of Trump. People cannot continue to disrespect us,” Egede wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

Egede continues to lead Greenland while awaiting the formation of a new government after his party´s defeat in elections on Tuesday. “The American president has once again evoked the idea of annexing us. I absolutely cannot accept that,” he wrote adding that he would convene the leaders of the territory´s parties.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen also pushed back Friday on Trump´s latest remarks, saying the Danish autonomous island could not be taken over by another country. “If you look at the Nato treaty, the UN charter or international law, Greenland is not open to annexation,” Lokke told reporters.

The top diplomat said “I see no indication in the Greenland elections that people want to leave the kingdom to become Americans.” Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of Greenland´s election winning centre-right Democrats and likely future Greenlandic prime minister, also criticised Trump´s statement.