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By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's Republican allies in the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to build support for a bill on authorizing talks for the purchase of Greenland, according to a copy of the bill circulated for co-sponsors on Monday.
The bill is called "Make Greenland Great Again Act," the offices of Republican U.S. representatives Andy Ogles, who is leading the bill, and Diana Harshbarger said. The copy of the draft was reported earlier by Fox News Digital and had 10 co-sponsors as of Monday morning.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Trump says he wants to make Greenland a part of the United States and does not rule out using military or economic power to persuade Denmark to hand it over. Republicans won a narrow majority in the House and Senate in the Nov. 5 U.S. elections.
KEY QUOTES
The bill, if passed, will allow the president to enter into negotiations with Denmark on Jan. 20, when Trump takes office.
"Congress hereby authorizes the President, beginning at 12:01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 20, 2025, to seek to enter into negotiations with the Kingdom of Denmark to secure the acquisition of Greenland by the United States," the bill's draft says.
"Not later than 5 calendar days after reaching an agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark relating to the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees the agreement, including all related materials and annexes," it adds.
CONTEXT
Greenland has been controlled by Denmark for centuries, previously as a colony and now as a semi-sovereign territory under the Danish realm. It is subject to the Danish constitution, meaning any change to its legal status would require a constitutional amendment.
Prime Minister Mute Egede, who has stepped up a push for independence, has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that it is up to its people to decide their future.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
