Briefing for Heads of Mission resident and not resident in Oslo

 

The Minister based his briefing on the following points
(check against delivery):

 

 

• Welcome.  Hope you all will have an enjoyable 17 May here in Oslo. I will see you at the reception tomorrow afternoon.
  
  
• On today’s meeting: First a few words about the current political situation in Norway:
  o   Majority government for almost six years; longest period of stable majority government for half a century (since 1961) (with same foreign minister since 2005).
  o   All political parties have now held their annual party congress. Local elections coming up.  
  o   Financial situation: sound, not only due to our petroleum revenues, but also not least due to our innovative labour market, strong ties with the social partners and reforms in the wake of challenges of the 1990s. Situation in Europe cause for concern.
  
  
• On the international scene: I will focus on three main topics:
  o   High North/Arctic issues.
  o   Middle East and North Africa, with emphasis on Norway’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and negotiations, as well as our participation in the international society’s response to the Libyan crisis.
  o   International human rights issues/Norway’s membership of the UN Human Rights Council.

 

1.

• High North: Many of you heard me talk about this before – no. 1 foreign policy priority.
  
  
• Last week: Ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in Nuuk, Greenland. Historic meeting. Clinton and Lavrov among the ministers who attended. Strong US focus on the Arctic.
  
  
• A few words on the development of the Arctic Council’s role during the past 10 years. Remarkable.
  
  
• Arctic Council permanent secretariat will be located in Tromsø.
  
  
• Increasing international attention on Arctic issues – climate change, new resources and transport routes, developments in Russia.
  
  

2.

• Middle East/Israel-Palestine. Norway chairs the AHLC (Arabs and Israelis around the same table). A few words about the meeting in Brussels three weeks ago, and about my meeting with President Abbas (in Berlin) and the Israeli deputy foreign minister (in Oslo) last week.
  
  
• Support Palestinian state-building efforts.
  
  
• Agreement between Fatah and Hamas. Good news, very welcome, but will have to look into it more closely. Need to comply with existing agreements, peace with Israel. Reconciliation key.
  
  
• Israel’s response will be crucial. Hope for better outcome this time than in 2007 – also in the international community’s response.
  
  
• Two-state solution. Recognise a Palestinian state.
  
  
• Next AHLC meeting in New York in September, plans for a donor conference in Paris in June.
  
  
• North Africa/Libya: Support for democratic voices.
  
  
• Norway strongly condemns violence used by regimes against their own people.
  
  
• Norway participates actively in Libya, currently with six F-16 fighter planes.
  
  
• Important that the international response is not only perceived as Western.
  
  
• Historic Security Council resolution: Protection of civilians. Human rights. Fulfilment of paragraphs 1 and 2 important. The political process.
  
  

3.

• Leads me to my third main topic: Human Rights Council, international human rights issues.
  
  
• Norway member of the Human Rights Council since 2009. Important UN body, e.g. through the screening of all countries – UPR process. I participated myself.
  
  
• Need to have non-Western parts of the international community on board. Human rights not a Western issue, and Western countries are in the minority in the Human Rights Council.
  
  
• Norway’s humanitarian agenda: Working with new partners, with new tools, on new fronts. Coalition between Western and non-Western countries in international human rights efforts, humanitarian disarmament, and not least - human rights dialogues.
  
  
• Cf. Uprising in North Africa: Citizens demanding to exercise human rights. Need our support. Dialogue with new partners, e.g. earlier this month: Egyptian youth representatives visited Norway.