Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to Oslo this evening and to this retreat. I would like to thank the co-organiser, the Henry Dunant Centre, and its director, Martin Griffiths, for all the work they’ve put into making this a success.

Each and every one of you has played an active part in negotiating, mediating and promoting peace and reconciliation. Your efforts are widely recognised and the work you have done has changed the lives of many people. I feel honoured to be among you tonight. I share your commitment. Conflict resolution and solidarity with the poor and oppressed have been life-long commitments for me.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The quest for peace and security is the main challenge facing us today. This quest is what brings us together. There is no nobler objective.

The efforts by the international community to achieve peace, security and stability must be based on international law, with the United Nations at the core.

In 1999, Gallup International conducted a Millennium Survey of 57 000 adults in 60 countries. On the question of what matters most in life, people in areas of conflict expressed a strong desire to live without it. In fact, one of the principle objectives of the UN in the new Millennium is freedom from fear.

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No single country is strong enough to bring about peace alone. It can only be done through international co-operation. I do, however, believe that smaller, more flexible actors, which cannot easily be suspected of protecting vested interests under the veil of good intentions, can facilitate understanding and thus help to build bridges between states and between different peoples, nations, and religious and ethnic groups within a state.

Norway is committed to making a contribution – however modest – when we are in a position to do so. This is a moral imperative. Conflicts often lead to widespread human suffering and violations of human rights and humanitarian law, and we have an obligation to prevent or end this state of affairs.

But not only is this a moral imperative, it is a question of self-interest as well. Even though the vast majority of present-day conflicts are internal, they pose a threat to regional and international stability. Security concerns are becoming increasingly globalised.

The world is made up of a great many different peoples, nations, religious and ethnic groups, and ways of life. This plurality is a feature of many modern states. We must ensure that everyone is included, whatever his ethnicity, religion, class or sex, in his society as a free citizen.

Peace, democracy and tolerance are one and the same. Tolerance, as John F. Kennedy reminded us, implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others. And let me add: Someone with a personal faith or conviction can more easily understand and respect persons of another belief.

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On one of my trips to the Middle East, I had a conversation with the Speaker of the Knesset, who explained the difficulties of the peace process in these words: “The problem is that both parties are right.” Peace often depends on finding acceptable compromises between conflicting, but equally legitimate, demands.

Tomorrow you will be discussing many of the challenges that lie ahead. New challenges are continually arising, but we have a duty to do what we can to resolve them and promote security and freedom.

In my view, one of the best ways of ensuring this is to establish dialogue between cultures, religions, nationalities and ethnic groups. I do not believe in a clash of civilisations; I believe that better mutual understanding can often reduce tensions across cultural and religious lines and make it more difficult to abuse religion for political purposes. Terrorist acts, which some extremists claim to do in the name of God, are against the very nature of religion. Let me underline this: Religion should not be seen as a part of the problem, but as a part of the solution.

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We need to be tough on international terrorism, and tough on the causes of terrorism. These are extremely complex issues. There are no easy answers, but that is no excuse not to address them. We must do our utmost to eradicate the support base for international terrorism and terrorists, to fight poverty and human rights violations, and to end protracted conflicts by peaceful means.

In order to address these issues, we need greater knowledge of and insight into the nature of terrorism. This is why I am convening a high-level conference called ‘Fighting Terrorism for Humanity’ on 22 September in New York. Heads of state and government, and experts, religious leaders and victims of terrorism are all being invited to attend. I hope all of you will have the opportunity to come.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I wish you all many enjoyable and rewarding discussions here at Holmenkollen Park Hotel and look forward to working with you all in our common effort to make peace and ensure that all men and women enjoy security and freedom.

And now: Bon appétit!