Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The termination of violence is the first, indispensable step towards lasting peace.

Then the hardest part starts: building sustainable political solutions based on democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

To quote John F. Kennedy: “Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding barriers, quietly building new structures.”

In recent years Norway has played an important role as a facilitator in a number of peace processes. We have been involved in various ways in peace and reconciliation processes in South Africa, Colombia, Ethiopia/Eritrea, the Philippines, Guatemala, Haiti, Cyprus, the Middle East, Sri Lanka and the Sudan. As you know, Norway has also supported reconciliation efforts in South-East Europe.

Building peace means promoting fundamental values.

Without respect for human dignity, reconciliation is impossible.

Thus, promoting mutual trust and respect is essential to building peace. It is essential to inspiring hope for the future. The challenge is to replace fear with acceptance, harassment with tolerance, and hate with respect. In other words, to love one’s neighbour.

As many of you may know, in addition to being prime minister, I am an ordained Lutheran pastor. I firmly believe that inter-cultural and inter-religious contacts are vital if we are to succeed in reducing tension and building mutual trust and confidence between people. This holds true not only in South-East Europe, but also in very many other parts of the world.

I have made it a priority to fight racism and discrimination against Muslims and other religious minorities in my country. To show my respect for Islam, I have visited mosques in Norway and on visits to Muslim countries.

Religion is a strong force in today’s world. It has played an important and at times violent role throughout history.

Few know better than you how religion can be abused to stir up mistrust and hate. Few know better than you how religion can be abused to breed conflict and war. Too often, religious leaders have allowed themselves to become pawns used by political leaders in their struggle for power. In times of conflict religious symbols are often attacked, and this in turn inflames the tension and discord. The recent history of this region is a case in point.

Remarkable progress has been made in South-East Europe in recent years, thanks not least to your responsible leadership. We fully support you in your ambition to become further integrated into Euro-Atlantic structures. Our common wish for greater integration is based on the standards and values we share. Together we must commit ourselves to staying the course. We want your efforts to prevail.

The violent incidents in Kosovo last March were a clear demonstration that peace must be promoted every single day. They were a stark reminder of the potential for extremists to mobilise support for ethnic violence, and the vulnerability of

minorities. This was emphasised by the Norwegian NATO ambassador, Mr Eide, in his report to the UN Secretary General.

Political leaders need to deal with the past and plan for the future in a constructive and responsible manner.

We all have a duty to ensure that those suspected of war crimes are brought to justice, including those indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This is an essential step in paving the way for a genuine reconciliation process.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In many conflicts religion is considered to be part of the problem. In my view, it should be the other way around. Religion must become part of the solution. As leaders, we must take responsibility for encouraging dialogue between religions. Inter-religious dialogue does not mean giving up your own faith. We must focus on our common values such as respect for the sacred, human dignity and reconciliation.

To focus on the future, we must build on the values that unite us.

We must stop thinking in terms of “us and them”.

We must learn from history, and not let the forces of the past dictate our future.

Our children are our future. Educating our children is the key to achieve concrete improvements in our societies.

Let us teach our children that we stand for harmony, not conflict. Let us ensure that our schools foster respect, understanding and consideration for others. Let us ensure that our schools foster a sense of community and solidarity. Let us teach our children to cross ethnic and religious barriers.

I believe that such an approach can lay the foundations for co-operation and co-existence, instead of alienation and hostility.

Many children in South-East Europe have spent years of their childhood in conflict and war. Their wounds are deep. Although people are learning to live together again, there are still some places where youngsters have few opportunities to meet and get to know their peers from the other side. Their parents and community leaders discourage these contacts. This will prevent their wounds from healing. It may well prove to be the most long-standing threat to a common future.

Our challenge – and let me underline that it is a joint one – is to build an inclusive society. This was a core message in a speech I made three months ago to political leaders from other European countries in the Hague, on the politics of European values.

We need to focus on what unites people – on creating bonds, on paving the way for joint, positive experiences. What does this mean here in your region? It means making sure that different ethnic groups attend the same schools, share the same water, electricity and telephone systems, the same police service, the same postal service, the same hospitals and the same fire departments.

These practical measures are essential if progress is to be made where it counts – at the local level.

But not only at the local level. Any viable political and economic strategy has to facilitate regional co-operation, development and trade. Such a regional, European-oriented strategy is important to the objective of a wider European economic and political integration.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We must repudiate the violent history of Europe and the Balkans. We must demonstrate, not only to ourselves, but to the rest of the world, that Europe is a continent of peace.