Denmark, Greenland sign deal to clean up U.S. military waste

Denmark and its autonomous Arctic island ofGreenland have signed an agreement to clean up U.S. militaryinstallations that were left to rust in the pristine landscape after the Cold War.

The deal earmarks 180 million kroner ($29 million) over six yearsfor the cleanup. Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen and DanishEnvironment Minister Esben Lunde Larsen finalized it in Copenhagenon Thursday.

Lunde Larsen said a Denmark-Greenland steering group will decidewhen and where to start the cleanup.

A 1951 deal between Copenhagen and Washington allowed the U.S. to build 33 bases and radar stations in Greenland.

The agreement didn'tspecify who would be responsible for cleanup.

Lunde Larsen and Kielsen singled out areas south of Nuuk, theGreenland capital on the west coast, and Tasiilaq on the east coast,where there are defunct buildings, abandoned vehicles and empty fuelbarrels littered along runways used by Americans for the NorthAtlantic air ferry route during World War II. U.S. planes toucheddown in Greenland on their way to war in Europe and North Africa.

The deal between Denmark and Greenland doesn't cover a U.S.facility that is still in use or, for instance, Camp Century, anunder-ice missile project abandoned in 1966 because the cap began tocrush the camp. A separate deal from February 2017 between Denmarkand Greenland is monitoring and gauging the never-completed launchsite for nuclear missiles under the surface of the massive ice cap.

"I am pleased that we can work together to do the cleaning,"Kielsen said, adding Greenland for long had wished to remove junk from American activities.

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