Address to the Storting on terrorist attack in Algeria

Mr President,

On the morning of 16 January, Norway was hit by an act of international terrorism. 

The In Amenas gas production facility in Algeria was subject to a brutal attack.

This was a cruel, deliberate act.

Workers from Algeria, Japan, the UK, the US, France, Norway and a number of other countries were the innocent victims.

Several dozen people were killed.

Our deepest sympathies go to all those affected by this tragedy.

Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all Statoil’s employees, at home and abroad.

We grieve with those who have lost their loved ones,

We share the relief of those whose loved ones have returned home safely,

and the anguish of those still living with uncertainty.  

 

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Mr President

This is the worst peacetime attack on Norwegian economic interests outside Norway.

But it is more than that.

It is a violent attempt to paralyse legal and legitimate international business activity.
And it is a threat to peaceful cooperation between people from different countries.

For the Government, it was important to convey a clear message right from the outset.

Terrorists will not succeed in achieving their goals.  

They will not decide how we live, where Norwegian companies operate or which countries we cooperate with.

Nor will they succeed in spreading fear.

This is essential if Norway is to be Norway.

An open democracy.

A free people.

I therefore greatly appreciate the chance to brief the Storting so quickly on the Government’s handling of the crisis.

With the clear proviso that new information may emerge, I will present a report on the basis of the information available at present.

The terrorist attack on the In Amenas gas production facility started on the morning of Wednesday 16 January at 05:40. The facility is run by Statoil in cooperation with BP and the Algerian oil and gas company Sonatrach.

A terrorist group going under the name “Those who sign in blood” (al-Muwaqi’un Bil-Dima), led by Mukhtar Belmokhtar, have claimed responsibility for the attack.   

The group is believed to have links to Al-Qaeda.

Some 800 people were at the facility when the attack began, around 135 of whom were not Algerian citizens; 17 of these worked for Statoil, and 13 were Norwegian.

The situation for five of our countrymen remains unclear.

When the terrorists launched the attack, some of the employees were in the accommodation area; others were at the production facility itself. The two are about three and a half kilometres apart.

The terrorists first attacked two buses en route to the airport. Then they attacked the accommodation area and the production facility. They took hostages in both places.

Algerian forces arrived at the scene shortly after the attack.

The hostage-takers reportedly threatened to kill hostages if the Algerian forces intervened. There were several exchanges of fire.

 

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In the morning of Thursday 17 January, five vehicles began moving from the accommodation area towards the production facility. We believe this was an attempt by the hostage-takers to move a group of hostages to the production facility. Had they succeeded in doing this, they would have gained a significant strategic advantage.

However, the Algerian security forces opened fire on the vehicles and all five were stopped before they reached the production facility. A number of the hostages in the vehicles were killed during this operation, as were several hostage-takers.

In a conversation I had with Prime Minister Sellal at 12:15 that day, he informed me that the operation was under way.

I immediately informed the relevant ministers and Statoil’s top management.

 

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On Thursday afternoon and the next day, the Algerian forces carried out a thorough search of the accommodation area. At the same time they monitored the movements of the hostage-takers in the production facility.

In the middle of Saturday 19 January the Algerian authorities informed Foreign Minister Eide by telephone that they had succeeded in gaining full control over the whole site.

 

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The terrorists were well organised and heavily armed, and were in possession of explosives.

They made several demands, which changed somewhat during the attack. To begin with they demanded the release of hundreds of Islamist extremists, and the withdrawal from the area of the Algerian army.   

They later demanded buses to transport themselves and the hostages to Mali for an exchange of prisoners. They then demanded the release of Al-Qaeda prisoners in the US.

When the terrorists’ demands were not met, there were strong indications that they were going to blow up the production facility and kill both the hostages and themselves. Once they started executing hostages, the Algerian authorities decided to send in their security forces.

According to Algeria’s Prime Minister the official death toll for foreign hostages is currently 37, in addition to the five people still missing and unaccounted for.

 

Mr President,

Norway has maintained regular contact with the Algerian authorities throughout the crisis. This was crucial in order to keep our information up-to-date and convey our views, wishes and advice.

We have been wary of drawing conclusions about the Algerian authorities’ handling of the situation. We would first like to gain a better picture of the events and of the choices the authorities were faced with.

Dealing with a hostage situation involving more than 30 hostage-takers and a large number of hostages is an extremely difficult task for any country. What is more, the attack took place in one of the world’s most remote areas.

In any case, sole responsibility for the human suffering caused by the attack lies irrefutably with the terrorists.

We will continue our talks with the Algerian authorities and will discuss our handling of the crisis and what we can learn from it.

We would also like to engage in a dialogue on how Norway can assist Algeria in its efforts to combat Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism.

 

Mr President,

Our Embassy in Algiers was informed of the attack against Statoil on Wednesday morning at about 07:30.

The Embassy contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which established a crisis management team just after 09:00.

Crisis management teams are formed to respond to major incidents, and are made up of specially trained Foreign Ministry employees.

This crisis management team also included employees from the Directorate of Health, the police and the armed forces, which also had their own crisis management teams.

 

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The Foreign Ministry’s crisis management team decided early on Wednesday morning to send a representative to liaise with Statoil’s emergency preparedness centre.

It was also decided that an emergency response team was to be sent to the Embassy in Algiers made up of personnel from the Ministry, the police, the armed forces and the health authorities.

In order to ensure the best possible and most effective contact with all those concerned, we invited liaison personnel from Statoil, the Office of the Prime Minister and the main ministries involved to join the Foreign Ministry’s crisis management team.

The crisis management team had regular contact with Statoil and our embassies in Algiers, London, Paris, Washington, Tokyo and Berlin.

And with colleagues in the crisis management centres in other affected countries.

 

Mr President,

During the crisis, the Government attached importance to keeping the Storting as well informed as possible.

I maintained close contact with the President of the Storting and the party leaders. 

The Foreign Minister contacted the chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence early Wednesday morning, and kept her informed throughout the crisis. He gave a short briefing to the Storting the following morning.

That afternoon, he gave a more extensive briefing to the Enlarged Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

 

Mr President,

The necessary resources were mobilised as quickly as possible. The order given was that too many rather than too few resources were to be mobilised, so as not to lose time, and to then demobilise resources as necessary.

The aim was to ensure the most effective response to the crisis possible.

In addition to the national crisis management in Oslo and at the Embassy in Algiers, several other bodies have contributed to the effort:

It is the responsibility of the Norwegian Intelligence Service to provide information and assessments that can inform police decisions, and they are doing so on an ongoing basis.  

The contribution made by the Intelligence Service in connection with the terrorist attack has been of great value.

The Intelligence Service was in close contact with relevant services, and helped keep the Norwegian authorities well informed throughout the crisis.

For security reasons, we could not release this information. There is still a good deal of information that cannot be released.

The armed forces made three aircraft available, two of which were equipped for providing emergency medical and evacuation assistance.

One of the aircraft was used to transport the Foreign Ministry’s emergency response unit.

Another aircraft providing emergency medical and evacuation assistance was hired from SAS. This formed part of an international airlift that ensured rapid evacuation to Algiers.

Norway made it absolutely clear that the evacuation effort must be based on medical needs and not nationality or other factors.

The Norwegian aircraft was one of the first foreign planes to land in Algiers, and was ready for action before it was needed. It brought a surgical trauma team, and was equipped to provide intensive care and to transport stretchers for the evacuation of injured persons.

The aircraft landed in In Amenas at 12:35 on Saturday morning. The high standards of the medical personnel and equipment meant that it was appropriate for them to remain there to treat people with serious injuries as soon as they arrived. Those with less serious injuries were transported with other aircraft.

Citizens of all countries had equal access to assistance from Norwegian medical personnel on the basis a medical examination on arrival.

We stepped up the level of preparedness for relevant parts of the armed forces, including our special forces. It was important for the Government to plan for all contingencies even though we considered it unlikely that they would all be used.

The Norwegian police has provided negotiating and identification expertise. Several police experts are now in Algeria to assist the authorities with identification.

All the dead have now been brought to Algiers, and the identification work has begun.

Throughout the crisis, the Norwegian health authorities have advised Statoil on appropriate psychosocial support for the relatives of the victims. They have provided expertise from relevant disciplines, county governors and municipalities.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those who are working night and day to save lives and who are taking such good care of the victims’ relatives:

the police, the armed forces and the health personnel,

the intelligence services,

employees in various ministries and subordinate agencies, and employees in the Foreign Service.

And, not least, the employees in Statoil.

You are all doing an outstanding job that deserves great respect.

 

Mr President,

Throughout the crisis, there has been close contact between the relevant ministers and Statoil’s top management.

The company and its employees are in the midst of an extremely difficult situation. I would like to commend the way Statoil has dealt with the crisis and provided assistance to the relatives of the victims.

During the acute phase of the crisis, several meetings were held between the relevant ministers and in the Government’s security committee.

The ministers most immediately involved held their first meeting on Wednesday at 13:00. They were briefed on the steps that had already been taken and new decisions were made on the management of this crisis at national level.

The first meeting of the crisis council was held immediately afterwards.  The crisis council is made up of senior officials from several ministries, and met five times during the first four days of the crisis.

 

Mr President,

Right from the start – and throughout this crisis – it has been vital to ensure that all the necessary resources were made available to protect and save the lives not only of our own citizens but also of others who were affected.

But throughout, responsibility for dealing with the terrorist attack and the situation that developed in Algeria has lain with the Algerian authorities.

Norway and other countries have offered assistance of various types, but it has been up to the Algerian authorities to decide what kind of assistance they wanted. 

 

Mr President,

Throughout the crisis we have engaged in extensive dialogue and cooperation with other affected countries.

I have been in close contact with the Algerian Prime Minister, the French President and my counterparts in the UK and Japan.

Foreign Minister Eide has had daily conversations with his Algerian colleague and has had an ongoing dialogue with other foreign ministers.

Our common message to the Algerian authorities has been to emphasise the importance of showing restraint and giving priority to the safety of the hostages.

We also asked the Algerian authorities to proceed with great caution in the event of action being taken to free the hostages and secure the gas production facility.

All in all, we feel that contact between us and the Algerian authorities has been good.

There has also been close cooperation in Algiers between the countries whose citizens were among the hostages. They have also had meetings with the Algerian authorities at both senior official level and political level.

In In Amenas too, there has been close contact and coordination between the various embassies to ensure the best possible cooperation on the ground.

This proved of great importance for the medical evacuation operation and for the work of identifying the dead and injured.

 

Mr President,

A comprehensive evaluation of the way this crisis has been managed will be carried out, in accordance with established guidelines.

This evaluation will be thorough and detailed. However, I would like to underline that work relating to the crisis is still ongoing.

We will therefore return to the question of how the evaluation will be carried out with particular view to providing the best possible advice to Norwegian companies operating in high risk areas abroad.

We will consider different ways in which we can provide advice to Norwegian companies on dealing with security challenges abroad. 

The Government is looking into ways of enhancing cooperation between the Norwegian Police Security Service and the Norwegian Intelligence Service.

The aim is to further strengthen our ability to prevent, uncover and stop terrorist threats against Norway, Norwegian citizens and Norwegian interests abroad.

 

Mr President,

Allow me to broaden the perspective.

The ability of terrorists to operate from bases in fragile states is a serious problem. We have seen this in Afghanistan and in the attack on the US on 11 September 2001.

In order to fight terrorism, we need a broad strategy that includes political, economic, legal and military means. We must take a long-term approach, but must at the same time address the challenges that we are facing here and now. We must also address the various sources of funding for terrorism.

The terrorist attack in Algeria must be seen in the context of the broader crisis that is unfolding in large parts of the Sahel in North Africa.

The region is beset with political unrest, corruption, weak governance structures, poor territorial control and porous borders. Against this backdrop we have seen the rise of transnational terrorist networks, with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) at the forefront.

Since the fall of Gaddafi, there has been easy access to large numbers of heavy and advanced weapons. Well-trained mercenaries have also come to this area. These factors in combination with weak governance structures have created a breeding ground for militant jihadists and strong criminal networks.

The distinctions between these groups are not always clear. Recruitment is increasing from both within and outside the region, and many of those who join have experience of action from other conflict areas.

There are also worrying indications of increasingly close cooperation between terrorist groups in this area and similar groups operating further west towards the Horn of Africa and on into the Middle East.

Norway has been engaged in North Africa for some time. We have supported popular demands for democracy and social development.

About a year ago, for the first time, a special envoy for this area was appointed.

And crisis management was high up on the agenda during the Foreign Minister’s visit to the African Union’s headquarters in December.

 

Mr President,

The crisis in Mali is a problem in its own right. Militant Islamists have taken control of the northern parts of the country.

The UN Security Council has pointed out that this constitutes a threat to international peace and security and has authorised an African peacekeeping mission under the leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This will be an African-led mission.

At the same time, the EU is taking steps towards establishing a mission to train Malian security forces.

The EU mission will not take part in combat operations in Mali; it will only provide capacity-building assistance.

The EU has not yet clarified the details of its contribution.

Questions have been raised about Norwegian support for the EU mission.

No decisions on this have yet been taken.

The Storting will be consulted in the normal manner if it becomes relevant.

We will strengthen our political dialogue with the countries in North Africa.

And we will help to build up sustainable social structures that can withstand pressure from jihadists and organised criminal networks.

 

Mr President,

Norway has a small and open economy. Throughout our history we have depended on trade and economic relations more than many other countries.

In keeping with this tradition, Statoil and many other Norwegian companies operate all over the world today.

They must do so if we are to continue to have an open, international, competitive economy.

The events in In Amenas are a reminder that international terrorism can threaten peaceful business activities.

We will use political, legal and economic instruments to fight those seeking to destroy open trade between free nations.

Luckily we are not alone.

Many countries share our views.

But we need to strengthen the international community’s united fight against terrorism – by political, economic and military means.

And Norway will play its part in this.

Prime Minister David Cameron and I have agreed that we should meet to discuss this crisis and how Norway and the UK can work together to promote a more united international effort against international terrorism.

Meanwhile we will continue our efforts in the UN and through binding international cooperation to combat the financing of terrorism.

We must also face the fact that no country, no people is spared from the threat of terrorism.

This is why we are strengthening the Norwegian police and our national crisis management.

This time it was Algeria.

Next time it could be us.

We must equip ourselves as well as we can to protect ourselves against a terrorist attack on Norwegian soil.

 

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Finally, Mr President,

Norway has long and proud international traditions.

The brutal terrorist attack in In Amenas is an attack on these traditions, and thus on Norwegians who have travelled out into the world throughout the ages:

missionaries, sailors, aid workers, students and people engaged in the business sector,

all those who have served in military operations in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kosovo and elsewhere.

Both separately and together, they helped Norway become part of a free world.

The shots that were fired in In Amenas were an attack on their efforts, their engagement.

And we will not accept this.

We will respond by standing together to uphold the very ideals that extremists of all types seek to destroy:

democracy,

freedom,

humanity.

 

We will never give in to terrorists.

We will always stand up for our values.