Several |Icelandic news organizations report the results of a new poll conducted by Gallup and commissioned by Helgi Hjörvar, Member of Parliament for the Social Democrats.
The poll asked participants if they were for or against cancelling the defense agreement with the US. 33.2 per cent were “strongly in favor” of cancelling the agreement, 20.6 per cent “moderately in favor”; 9.4 per cent were “strongly against” cancelling the agreement and 15.4 per cent ” moderately against”. Overall, 53.8 per cent were in favor of cancelling the defense agreement and 24.8 per cent against with 21.3 per cent neither for or against. Replies were received from 802 of the 1.300 people polled.
Earlier this year, the US unilaterally announced it would withdraw the bulk of its forces from Iceland in a move which some have characterized as a breach of the US-Iceland defense agreement.
Among other things the US-Iceland defense agreement states that “the US shall always undertake to execute its obligations under this agreement to ensure the security of the Icelandic nation to the fullest possible extent, keeping in mind how few in numbers Icelanders are and the fact that they have through the course of the centuries not been used to bearing arms.”
