In the annals of the great conflicts, will we soon be adding Canada vs. Denmark?

In Greenland, it's being called an unjustified occupation, while Canadian diplomats won't even deign to call it an irritant.

But behind the rhetoric, experts say there is a good reason why Defence Minister Bill Graham plopped down on a barren little island in Canada's High North. Arctic sovereignty will become an increasingly important issue as global warming melts the polar ice caps, and even the government of Greenland appears to know it.

Yesterday, a key government official in Greenland chose strong words to describe Mr. Graham's move, while reports in the Danish press said the country expects to send a ship to the area next month.

And I thought the fight over Cypress was stupid...