Political parties in Greenland and the Faroe Islands are calling on the Danish government to investigate whether Greenlandic, Danish and Faroese airspace was used by the CIA for prisoner transports. The latest development comes after secret cables published by Wikileaks in January suggested that the Danish government had promised to investigate the matter while at the same time attempting to cover it up.
“Given our current data, I suspect the Danish authorities have given the CIA permission to use Danish airspace,” said Justus Hansen, the head of foreign security affairs in the Greenlandic parliament.
According to Politiken, the CIA aircraft, which flew over Denmark and the Faroe Islands, made several stops in Greenland to refuel while illegally transporting prisoners on rendition flights. Greenland’s premier Kuupik Kleist has so far refused to comment on the matter, despite being urged by all political parties to demand an independent investigation.
Both the ruling and opposition parties in the Faroe Islands are also calling for similar action. “We want to know exactly how much the Danish government knew,” said Hogni Hoydal of the Republican Party. “If the government refuses to investigate, it will create a dent in Denmark’s relationship with Greenland and the Faroes.”
The Danish government claims, however, that it has already looked into the flights in question. “The conclusion was that no Danish authorities knew of any fly-overs,” said Lene Espersen, the foreign minister.