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| President Donald Trump has postponed a meeting with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen because she does not want to sell Greenland to the United States (AFP Photo/ Tobias SCHWARZ, Nicholas Kamm) |
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump snapped back Wednesday at the Danish prime minister's "nasty" dismissal of his attempts to purchase Greenland, heightening a row which had already prompted the US president to scrap a state visit.
Hours after
announcing he would not visit Copenhagen next month as planned, Trump accused
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of insulting the United States as a whole by
rejecting talk of buying Greenland as "absurd."
With
Frederiksen voicing her annoyance at Trump's cancellation, the war of words
marks another spat between the US and one of its traditional allies since Trump
came to power two years ago on an avowedly "America First" foreign
policy platform.
Trump --
who made his name as a New York property mogul -- has characterized his idea of
buying Greenland as essentially "a large real estate" deal, arguing
it is a burden on Denmark as the autonomous territory's economy depends heavily
on subsidies from Copenhagen.
Speaking to
reporters at the White House, Trump said he was not the first US president to
have raised the idea of buying the vast Arctic island which has housed an
American air base since even before it became formally a part of Denmark.
"The prime minister (Frederiksen) used a terrible word when talking about something we've been talking about for years," he said.
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Denmark's
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: "I am both annoyed and surprised
that the US president has cancelled a state visit" (AFP Photo/Mads Claus
Rasmussen)
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"The prime minister (Frederiksen) used a terrible word when talking about something we've been talking about for years," he said.
"It
was not a nice statement the way she blew me off. We've done a lot for Denmark
... She said absurd. That's not the right word to use.
"It
was not a nice way of doing it. She could have just said no, we'd rather not do
it.
"She's
not talking to me, she's talking to the United States of America."
The idea of
the US buying Greenland was initially dismissed as a joke by some, but its
strategic location has grown at a time when both Russia and China are flexing
their muscles.
Greenland
was a Danish colony until 1953, when it became part of the Danish Realm, and it
gained "autonomous territory" status in 1979.
Its 55,000
inhabitants -- of whom 17,000 reside in the capital Nuuk -- are more than 90
percent Inuit, an indigenous group from Central Asia.
The government of Greenland has insisted that the island is "not for sale" and Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday that she fully endorsed that view.
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Greenland's
population of around 60,000 was taken aback by US President's
Trump's offer to
buy the autonomous Danish island (AFP Photo/Linda Kastrup)
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The government of Greenland has insisted that the island is "not for sale" and Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday that she fully endorsed that view.
"I am
both annoyed and surprised that the US president has cancelled a state
visit," said the prime minister who had been preparing to host Trump early
next month.
But, she
added, "Denmark and the US are not in crisis, the US is one of our closest
allies" and the invitation to visit was still open.
'Show
more respect'
The
postponement of Trump's visit -- which was announced on Twitter -- has sparked
strong reactions in Denmark.
"Reality
transcends imagination ... this man is unpredictable," said Morten
Ostergaard of the Social Liberal Party, which is part of the ruling coalition.
"For
no reason, Trump assumes that (an autonomous) part of our country is for sale.
Then insultingly cancels visit that everybody was preparing for," tweeted
Rasmus Jarlov, a member of the opposition Conservative Party.
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Map of
Greenland with key facts about the autonomous Danish territory (AFP
Photo/Sabrina BLANCHARD)
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"Are
parts of the US for sale? Alaska? Please show more respect."
Nonetheless,
conservative newspaper Jyllands-Posten wrote that Trump's actions ultimately
benefitted Denmark, highlighting Greenland's geopolitical value.
"Mette
Frederiksen has been given the opportunity to emphasize that Greenland's big
affairs are in fact decided in Copenhagen ... strengthening Denmark's position
in this great strategic game at stake over the Arctic," it said.
The
territory is home to the US airbase Thule, crucial during the Cold War as a
first line of monitoring against a potential Russian attack.
But the
melting polar ice sheet is opening up potentially major shipping routes, and
untapped reserved of oil, gas and minerals will become increasingly accessible,
leading Russia and China to show mounting interest in the region.
As far back
as 1867, the US State Department expressed interest in the island. And in 1946,
President Harry S. Truman offered $100 million in gold, or parts of Alaska, in
exchange for Greenland.
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