Greenland wants independence -- to hunt whales ??

[eppur_se_muova]

The enthusiastic backing that Greenlanders have just given to enhanced independence from Denmark is largely to do with the wealth that oil and gas reserves could bring.

But the territory - which perhaps we shall soon now have to refer to as a country - has its eye on other "natural resources" as well.

These are the whales and seals that the Inuit people have historically hunted, an activity which some in Greenland feel the West - for which you can read "Europe" - is unfairly trying to curtail.

More autonomy, they feel, will mean more rights to exploit the whales and seals and the trade they bring.

Part of Greenland's existing whale hunt is conducted under International Whaling Commission (IWC) rules permitting indigenous groups such as the Inuit to catch whales for eating. The other part involves species such as the belgua and narwhal that are outside the IWC's jurisdiction.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/