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 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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