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Hans Island dispute between Canada and Denmark nearly over

A dispute over bald, uninhabited piece of rock in the Arctic waters between Greenland and Ellesmere Island that's been a sore point between Canada and Denmark for years may finally be resolved.

In a solution worthy of Solomon, the National Post reports the two countries are near agreement to divide Hans Island precisely in two.

A boundary would be drawn running north to south, connecting the existing maritime boundaries on either side of the island, according to the Post, which cites sources close to the talks.

If implemented, it would give Canada its second land border with a foreign country, after the one with the United States.

It's unlikely we'll see Canada and Denmark setting up little border posts, though that might fit nicely into the strange little territorial fracas between the two NATO allies over the barren, 1.3-square-kilometre island.

The longstanding sovereignty dispute flared in the early 2000s when it was reported Danish warships and naval personnel were visiting the island and planted their flag.

Amid a war of words, then foreign affairs minister Bill Graham visited the island with a Canadian military expedition that had earlier removed the Danish flag and replaced it with the Maple Leaf.

The flap reached absurd levels, including a protest in front of a Danish consulate by Canadians warning "We eat Danish for breakfast. Then there's the Free Hans Island from Canadian oppression web site, a tongue-in-cheek effort to point out serious issues underlying the dispute.

It is, of course, not so much about Hans Island as about cementing sovereignty claims in the Arctic as climate change opens more of the region to resource exploitation and marine traffic.

Ottawa and Copenhagen agreed to talks in 2005.

"This is not a daunting task," Michael Byers, Canadian research chair in International law and politics at the University of British Columbia, told the Post.

"The fact of the matter is, this is disputed territory; there are tenable arguments on either side and the two countries are very close allies. This is something that good friends can easily work out."

Ottawa isn't saying much about the reported draft settlement.

"Canada and Denmark are co-operating in developing a mutually agreeable way forward with respect to Hans Island," Foreign Affairs spokesman Joseph Lavoie told the Post.

"The dispute continues to be well-managed in accordance with the 2005 Joint Statement on Hans Island. Canada and Denmark have excellent relations and we are satisfied with how our current arrangement is working."

In a separate commentary in the Post, Jonathan Kay said the reported deal "raises the intriguing possibility that Canada would end up sharing a common border with the European Community, just as Russia does.

"Will Russia someday join the European Union? Surely we would be eligible. And then, the Euro perhaps?"