Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

Two generations ago, Norwegian was often heard spoken on the plains of Iowa and the Dakotas, in the streets of Brooklyn, in rugged Washington State on the West Coast.

A hundred years ago, the biggest-selling Norwegian- language newspaper in the world was published in Chicago. It was called “The Scandinavian.”

They were all proud American citizens. Yet, at the same time, they remembered the old country.

One in every four Norwegians left their hometowns and valleys in my country to break new ground across the ocean. From the middle of the 19 ^th> Century until the middle of the 20 ^th>, in relative terms, more Norwegians left for the Promised Land than from any other country, save Ireland.

The reason they left was often poverty.

But it was also to find new freedom, new opportunities.

Opportunities brought them to America in the 19 ^th> and 2oth Centuries. And opportunities bring us together here, today.

As Prime Minister, I have the privilege to represent one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

I look forward to sharing with you this morning my views on how US and Norwegian business, and research and development communities, can open new opportunities together.

Rapid technological development impacts on our economies. Globalisation transforms societies. No sector remains unchanged. Knowledge, applied science and educational qualifications are driving forces of our modern economies.

We, Norwegians and Americans, share that essential advantage in the global marketplace – the freedom to seek information and knowledge.

Knowledge ties the two themes of this seminar together – energy technology and information technology.

Norway cannot match the magnitude or sheer volume of production or research in the United States.

Yet, this seminar will demonstrate some of Norway’s comparative advantages.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

When I meet President Bush this afternoon, I will express Norway’s strong solidarity with the United States.

The attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, were an attack on us all, on our way of life.

We will not let international terrorism threaten our societies – or the values that make them beacons of freedom.

Our response to the attacks should be to strengthen international co-operation - in the political, economic and other spheres.

Politically, this is a renewed opportunity to focus on the United Nations.

Early next week, in Oslo, the UN and its Secretary-General Kofi Annan will receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Seldom has the Peace Prize come at a more crucial time. The world needs the UN.

In promoting development and stability in Afghanistan after Taliban, in helping defuse regional conflicts, in combating poverty world wide, the United Nations plays a vital role.

The economic fall-out from the terrorist attacks has caused insecurity on both sides of the Atlantic, and globally.

Our answer must be to strengthen free trade, and ensure that all countries can reap the benefits of the globalized economy.

I am very pleased that the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation last month in Doha, Qatar, was such a success.

This sent a strong signal to the world economy, and demonstrated our ability to act in the overall interest of the international community.

The world community agreed at Doha that the multilateral rules governing trade will be strengthened, also at a time of economic strain.

I am grateful for the leadership demonstrated by the United States in securing a positive outcome at Doha.

Further liberalisation of the trade in goods and services will fortify the world economy.

Agreement on the “Doha development agenda” meens that the interests of the developing countries will be at the heart of the work programme of the WTO.

The least developed countries have so far benefited only marginally from the multilateral trading system.

This has to change. And it will change.

More countries should take steps to increase market access to products from the least developed countries. Norway and the United States have been forerunners.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Much as we work towards trade liberalisation, that same increased trade may endanger the environment and sustainable development.

Climate change is one key challenge.

The Kyoto Protocol is now ready for ratification. I expect it to enter into force next year. The Protocol will open the way for concerted reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.

Importantly - it will also open new opportunities for business and industry.

The United States is not only a major energy producer and consumer. The US is a crucial player in the development of new energy technology. We need the creative energies of the US business sector and US research and development to develop technology and energy forms that are compatible with sustainable development.

As an energy nation, my country fosters a cooperative private-public partnership, that will contribute to more efficient energy use and emissions reductions. Promoting greater energy efficiency is a key measure.

Norway also puts much emphasis on developing alternative forms of energy. This is yet another sector in which Norwegian researchers have come a long way. I would strongly welcome increased US-Norwegian research co-operation in this area.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The experience of 1998 and 1999, when oil prices fell dramatically, demonstrated to us all that stabilising the oil market is an important task.

Norway now ranks as the world’s sixth largest oil producer. More importantly for the world economy, we are the third largest oil exporting country.

We will contribute to stable oil prices.

Oil and natural gas from Norway provide a substantial contribution to the energy security of our main trading partners. We have the political will and we have the resources necessary to maintain this role.

Norway is and will continue to be a stable, reliable and long-term supplier.

We co-operate closely with the United States within the International Energy Agency. As a major oil-exporting country we also share interests with other oil exporters.

I am a strong advocate of dialogue between oil-exporting and oil-importing nations.

This long-standing dialogue has contributed to increased awareness of the need for more stable and predictable conditions. In the oil market we strive for prices at a reasonable level for both producers and consumers.

When oil prices in the past have fallen to very low levels, my country has implemented measures on a unilateral basis. In this way, we have contributed to the measures of other producers. Our aim has been and remains - a stable price level.

It is in the long-term interest of both consumers and producers to avoid sharp fluctuations that will have negative impact on the economies of individual nations, as well as on political relations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Norway has considerable experience in the oil and natural gas sector. Norway is the most important supplier of natural gas to the European market, together with Russia and Algeria.

We see ourselves as a continued attractive partner to American enterprises.

I am proud to remind you that Norwegian professionals and companies have developed world-class know-how in the exploration and use of oil and natural gas resources.

All major international companies are today present on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

And key among them are the American companies, one of which – Phillips Petroleum – was the first to strike that black gold in the rough North Sea.

American expertise and capital have indeed its rightful share of honour in developing Norway’s offshore petroleum industry.

I expect American companies to be important contributors and partners in the future as well.

In the spirit of this Seminar, I underline our desire to engage further in cooperation projects with American partners in hydro-carbon related research and technology.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

What would the modern world be without Information Technology and Telecommunications?

My country benefits from a high level of education and the high penetration of IT technology.

In fact, Norway ranks among the top five nations in the world as regards the use of the internet, network PCs and mobile telephones. The European standard for cell phones, the GSM, was developed in Norway and adopted as a European standard in 1987.

Several Norwegian companies are anticipating the technological shifts that will accompany the penetration of digital TV and satellite broadband.

Representatives of Telenor are present here today. Telenor is about to acquire the American satellite communications company Comsat.

I welcome this major investment in the United States. It serves as a guiding light for our ability to work together.

The Norwegian offshore and maritime sectors were some of the world’s earliest users of satellite navigation. That has helped Norway to become a global leader in the implementation and manufacture of professional systems.

We are building a national archive of commercial radar satellite images. Norway was the first nation to use such images to monitor oil spills and fisheries activities.

Individually, however, the companies of these competitive sectors can do little.

In cooperation we will bring the industry forward.

This afternoon’s Seminar Session will serve as yet another step towards establishing such new working relationships.

Indeed, our modern societies are crucially dependent on information and communications infrastructure.

And so we have become all the more vulnerable.

Disruption to this infrastructure is a worst-case scenario that could destabilise nations.

The Government of the United States has taken a commendable initiative in order to cope with the challenges. In Norway we also address these important issues.

We have implemented legislation on electronic signatures and schemes for certification of IT security in products. We are currently developing greater warning capabilities and evaluating what further steps might be necessary to reduce our vulnerability and to develop IT security.

This calls for expanded public and private partnerships.

This calls for international cooperation.

Furthermore, in a global perspective, I believe we - as highly industrialised countries – must contribute to reducing the “digital divide” so evident in many parts of the world.

I place strong emphasis on integrating an equitable social dimension in our national IT policy. I believe we are in a position to contribute constructively internationally.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A main objective of this Seminar is to encourage you present here today to establish new partnerships.

We look forward to the establishment of a Norwegian Research Forum in the United States, facilitated by the Norwegian Embassy here in Washington and my friend and former minister of foreign affairs, Ambassador Knut Vollebæk.

Under the Research Forum we will build further relations in fields such as marine, climate and polar research, in bio- and nanotechnology, in important medical technology.

This new Forum is part of my Government’s USA Strategy. The strategy focuses on Norwegian- American bilateral relations. It focuses on cooperation with the United States in multilateral partnerships. My Government sees the strategy as a potent foreign and commercial policy instrument.

Henry Ford, that innovator among the great American entrepreneurs, once said: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let us go forth.

Thank you for your attention.