A Canadian news report that the long territorial dispute between Canada and Denmark over the tiny, barren Hans Island could soon be over has been dismissed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Villy Søvndal.
According to the Canadian National Post newspaper, Ottawa and Copenhagen are very close to reaching agreement on the island - in reality a 1.3 square kilometre rock between Canada’s Ellesmere Island and Greenland - that would divide the island into two, creating equal Danish and Canadian parts, and, more importantly, give both the rights to unexplored, and potentially very lucrative, oil and gas resources in the region.
Although the two respective government signed an agreement in 2005 to negotiate a settlement and lawyers from the two foreign ministries have been working on it since, Mr Søvndal said despite the 'positive dialogue' there's still a long way to go before a deal is brokered.
"Nothing's been agreed yet but talks have been constructive and I look forward to discussing the issue with my Canadian counterpart, John Baird, during my upcoming visit to Canada, he said. "The future of the island is part of our Arctic Strategy, which stresses the significance of the Arctic region, but also cooperation based on international law."
Although the dispute about the 'rock', which has blocked economic and environmental developments in the immediate region since 1973, has been relatively peaceful, both sides have made unilateral demands by raising their respective flag over the island.
A recent survey showed that 42 per cent of Canadians believe their government should stand firm in its demand for sovereignty, compared to just 5 per cent of Danes.