Dear Excellencies, dear Veterans!

Today we honour freedom. Today we honour the fight for freedom.

Today we honour your fight for freedom: Veterans from the Second World War. And veterans serving in international operations under both UN- and NATO-leadership.

On this particular day we honour those men and women, that gave and were willing to give their lives. Those of us who are free today are free only because of what they did for us.

We also greet the representatives of our friends and allies fighting for our common freedom. The bonds between us are strong and lasting.

The 8 ^th> of May represents the end of fear and suppression and the beginning of a more peaceful era.

The Second World War changed the world. It showed us the need to establish frameworks for peaceful co-operation and conflict-solution.

In the years that followed the United Nations and NATO developed as vital organisations for freedom, peace and security, and still remain so.

The most important asset of any organisation is the people working for it. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have contributed in various UN- and NATO-led operations after the Second World War. More than 50,000 Norwegian men and women have participated in UN’s peacekeeping operations.

The fight for peace and freedom is not over.

In 1938, Hitler occupied Austria - without warning. In 1939 he invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland. In 1940 he invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France.

11 ^th> September 2001 terrorists attacked the USA, and with that the whole western world - without warning. The terrible consequences of the new breed of international terrorism shocked the world.

As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in his speech when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize later that same year: "A new sense of insecurity has entered every mind, regardless of wealth or status".

This sense of insecurity must be taken seriously. A broad international coalition against terrorism has taken action.

During the Second World War brave men and women fought to give us freedom. Today brave men and women fight the battle against terrorism. Freedom from Taliban and the "burkha regime" has been achieved.

Afghanistan has experienced decades of war, drought and hunger. What has characterised the society more than anything else is the mismanagement by the Taliban rulers.

Their fundamentalist religious practice deprived the population of basic rights. This affected women in particular.

Dag Hammarskjøld once told us: " Freedom from fearcould be said to sum up the whole philosophy of human rights."

Franklin D. Roosevelt said that "Freedom to learnis the first necessity of guaranteeing that man himself shall be self-reliant enough to be free."

Freedom from fear and freedom to learn must always be our highest objectives. Not only for ourselves, but also for our children and future generations.

The fearless face of a young Afghan schoolgirl is a symbol of what we are fighting for and what we hope to achieve.

During the Second World War you fought for the same values and won. For that we are grateful and shall never forget the sacrifices you made.

Today’s soldiers, serving in international operations and at home, carry with them, in their hearts, this ballast in their fight for freedom.