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13 March 2002 |
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http://www.greenpeace.org.uk |
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For more than a week now five Greenpeace people, sixteen greenland dogs and two sleds have been touring remote villages in Greenland talking to the locals about Star Wars and Greenland's role in it. They are facing terribly harsh conditions. Below is a short backgrounder on the tour and if you want to find out more visit the Greenpeace UK website where regular updates and some amazing photos are regularly posted. Five Greenpeace campaigners, two sleds, 16 dogs and 400 kilogrammes of equipment have started a dog sled expedition in the Diskobay area of Greenland. The Greenpeace expedition is in Greenland to discuss US missile defence plans with the people of Greenland. The expedition will aim to visit as many towns and villages in the Diskobay area as possible during March. This expedition is part of the ongoing Greenpeace campaign against US Star Wars plans for the Thule early-warning radar base on Greenland. The campaign, which started in August last year when the Greenpeace ship MV Arctic Sunrise visited several towns and villages along the Greenland west coast as well as Thule itself. More than 1200 Greenlanders visited the ship during its tour and several gave video-testimonies against Star Wars. These testimonies have now been compiled and will be shown to decision makers in Washington later on this year. Temperatures can be extreme at this time of year and natural obstacles and ice-conditions can make this journey very difficult. Temperatures can range from -15 to -45 Celsius. (5 to -49 Fahrenheit) with the wind chill factor lowering the temperature to as much as -80 Celsius. The expedition will have to cross several difficult natural obstacles on the way. For example, the famous ice-fjord at the end of the Jacobshaven-glacier is the most active glacier in the world. It moves 25-35 meters a day, and every day it sprays out ice which equals New York's freshwater consumption in one year. Crossing this will be done with local guides but it will prove one of the most challenging obstacles for the expedition team. The US has not yet officially asked Greenland and Denmark for permission to use the Thule base as part of Star Wars. But it is only a matter of time before they do as designing, developing and building the system of which Thule will play a crucial role is well under way. This year alone, 7.8 billion US dollars will be spent on the Star Wars programme on the system and another missile test is being prepared for March 15. So if Greenland and Denmark want to have their say it is now. William Peden |
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7 March 2002 |
Ilulissat, Greenland - Greenpeace campaigners this week set off on a dog sled tour to visit isolated Greenlandic communities and collect testimonies of their opposition to Denmark giving the US permission to use the Thule radar base in Greenland as part of the US Star Wars system. Five campaigners on skis accompanied by two sleds pulled by 16 Greenland dogs will visit five separate communities in the Disko Bay area of the island's west coast (1) - the most populated area north of the capital Nuuk. Weather conditions permitting they will travel between 400-600 kilometres over the next four weeks, braving temperatures from minus 15 to minus 45 degrees celsius to reach the communities and collect their testimonies on video. Greenpeace plan to take these testimonies to decision makers in Washington later this year and to the Nuclear non-proliferation treaty Conference in New York in April. "The majority of Greenlandic people do not support the Star Wars system, and certainly don't want it based on their soil. Greenpeace will help these isolated communities to have their voice heard by the United States, even if it means we have to use dogs, sleds and skis to do it." Said Greenpeace Disarmament Campaigner, William Peden. This years expedition is a follow up to last years tour of Greenland by the Greenpeace ship, MV Arctic Sunrise. More than 1200 Greenlanders visited the ship and many gave video testimonies expressing their deep concerns about the possibility of living under the threat that the US Star Wars system would present. The US needs consent from Denmark and the UK to use radar and tracking facilities on their territories. The Danish and UK Governments have adopted a wait-and-see stance on the issue, saying they will decide on the matter only after they have received a formal request from the US to adapt facilities at Thule in Greenland and Fylingdales in the UK. "Greenland and Denmark along with Britain have the power of veto over the use of facilities on their land for the US Star Wars plans, it is time to exercise that veto. To do anything less can only be viewed as being complicit in starting a new nuclear arms race", said Greenpeace expedition leader Mads Christensen. For further information please contact: Phone interviews with members of the expedition can be arranged and
stills of the dog sled expedition setting off across the ice are
available on request from Greenpeace Communications, Photo Desk +31 20
524 9580 (1) The Dog Sled Expedition plans to visit the communities of
Ilulissat, Ilimanaq, asigiannguit, Ikamiut, Aasiaat |
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