Yorkshire CND - Denmark says US may root missile defence in NATO

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark said on Friday the United States was moving toward anchoring missile defense inside NATO and parliamentary sources signaled it could approve the use of a US radar base in Greenland if this were agreed.

A US official said talks were under way with NATO allies, but no decisions had been taken and there had been no consultations on specific issues such as missile defense bases.

"Prospects of the missile defense now being rooted in NATO...gives a considerably clearer picture of the political and strategic frames for further development of missile defense," the Danish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In June the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty in order to build a missile defense system, prohibited under ABM, to protect itself against potential attacks.

Denmark, a NATO ally, said missile defense would be part of discussions at NATO's summit in Prague on November 21-22.

Washington has offered to share technology with allies but the idea of a joint NATO missile defense is new, sources say.

"The approach the United States has taken has been nuanced from National Missile Defense to a joint effort, including co-operation with Russia. But the US doesn't have a master plan," a NATO diplomat said.

The Danish Foreign Ministry said Copenhagen had not received a request from the United States for the Thule military radar installation, in the northwest of the vast Arctic island of Greenland, to be used for missile defense.

Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, has enjoyed limited home rule since 1979 but the Danish government is responsible for foreign, security and defense policy on the island.

In 1987 the Danish parliament passed a resolution forbidding the use of the radar base at Thule for offensive purposes or in contradiction of the ABM treaty, which was seen as the foundation for international arms control.

But parliamentary sources said Denmark could be open to the prospect of extending the base for missile defense if the shield were extended to NATO allies.

A US official, who asked not to be named, said Washington was in early talks with the Danish government and Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has invited Greenland's premier, Jonathan Motzfeldt, to join the Danish delegation to the NATO summit in Prague.

The reason for the invitation is that it is expected that the US wants preliminary talks about a joint NATO participation in the missile defense," Greenland's home rule government said in a statement. [SC]