Arab League Summit, Riyadh 28 March 2007

Statement (*) by Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre

(*) Will be distributed on paper

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Majesties, Presidents, Secretary General of the United Nations, Arab League Secretary General, Excellencies, distinguished delegates.

I wish to express my gratitude to our Saudi hosts and the Arab League for inviting a Norwegian foreign minister to the Arab League Summit. On behalf of the Norwegian Government I reiterate our desire to work closely with the Arab nations and the Arab League.

I applaud the important and highly relevant political initiatives that are making this Arab League Summit so significant. You have many critical issues on your agenda that pose numerous challenges to the Arab people and their leaders throughout the entire region.
 
Allow me – as a friend from of the High North – to use my intervention to address one perspective in this broader setting, namely the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government.

I wish to applaud Saudi Arabia – and all those in the region who have contributed – for helping to make the Mecca agreement possible.

The Mecca agreement helped prevent a civil war. It helped promote the vision of political settlement instead of fighting and bloodshed. It paved the way for a National Unity Government – a historic event in itself.

I wish to applaud the courage of the Palestinian leaders who signed the Mecca agreement. I reiterate Norway’s pledge of continuous support to President Mahmoud Abbas, as Chairman of the PLO and President of the Palestinian Authority, for his steadfast efforts in pursuit of the interests of the Palestinian people.

I also wish to express my support to those Palestinian leaders from all factions who have accepted positions of responsibility in the National Unity Government. May the strength and courage it took them to forge the agreement inspire them to bridge any differences that may arise.
 
Norway supported the efforts to create a National Unity Government. The alternative to political settlement and compromise among Palestinians is violence and division between Palestinians. More violence and more division would deepen the misery and suffering of the Palestinian people. It would block any process leading towards a Palestinian state. And all of that would worsen the security situation for the entire region, including for Israel.

On 17 March Norway decided to normalise its political and economic relations with the new government.

We would have liked to see some of the wording in the government platform be more explicit. We do, however, see that important steps have been taken towards complying with the expectations of the international community. The Government pledges, without reservation, to honour previously concluded agreements. This implies the recognition of Israel and the renunciation of violence.

To gain broad and lasting international support, politically and financially, the words of this government need to be followed by action.

Normalisation means engagement. Engagement means holding one another accountable. It means seizing a political opportunity. Failing to engage means missing such an opportunity.

We stand ready to work directly with the government. We stand ready to resume our economic cooperation. And we encourage other nations and groups of nations to seize this opportunity and do the same. 

In our dialogue with the new government our message is clear: A key priority must be to gain control of the security situation.

The government must do what it can to put a stop to the rocket attacks on Israelis and secure the safe release of Corporal Shalit. At the same time we support the efforts being made by Egypt to facilitate a prisoners’ exchange. 

Norway is a friend of the Palestinian people. We support the right of the Palestinian people to live free of occupation in a Palestinian state.

Norway is a friend of Israel. We defend Israel’s right to live in peace and security. This is a mainstay of Norwegian Middle East policy. It gave us the opportunity to support the process that led to the Oslo agreements and mutual recognition between the state of Israel and the PLO.

Today I have issued a clear message to the National Unity Government of the Palestinians.

At the same time we hold Israel accountable for adhering to international law, moving towards ending occupation, reversing the construction of the separation wall and ending settlements on occupied land.

Norway calls on Israel to release withheld Palestinian revenues from taxes and fees and to increase freedom of movement for the Palestinian population.

An immediate priority now is to resume and reorganise the assistance to the Palestinian Authority.  

Since 1993, Norway has been leading the donor community in its efforts to help set up and support the Palestinian Authority.

We are now supporting the efforts of the new Finance Minister to establish adequate financial channels. The Palestinian economy needs to function as an economy, not solely as an end station for humanitarian aid. It is time to move from crisis management to supporting the political process through long-term assistance.

We stand ready – in close cooperation with the Palestinians, the UN, the EU and donors in this region and beyond - to broaden these consultations.

Finally, together we need to encourage Israelis and Palestinians to embark on a new political process of peace. Norway supports US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her efforts to initiate negotiations between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert. And we support the Arab League’s constructive contribution and its proposals.

On behalf of Norway, I express my solidarity with the people of the Arab world in their quest for freedom, opportunity and development.

One characteristic of the challenges facing the broader Middle East is that they are becoming increasingly interlinked. Facing these challenges calls for political engagement and political courage. I applaud the Arab League for showing a will to demonstrate both. In this you have Norway’s support.