49th Parliamentary Assembly of the Nordic Council

Report by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Mr. Knut Vollebæk 10 November 1997.

This has been a successful year for Nordic cooperation in the fields of foreign and security policy. Our countries still differ as regards their affiliation with the main fora for cooperation in these fields, i.e. NATO and the EU, but these differences have not created problems. On the contrary, this is a situation that seems to reflect the current political picture in Europe, where different countries are affiliated in a variety of ways with different institutions, but where the overall picture is one of a constantly expanding network of communication.

European cooperation has been in focus during this past year. The EU is about to embark upon an extensive enlargement. Furthermore, we noted with satisfaction that at the Amsterdam summit of the EU, the Nordic countries were able to gain support for their priorities: employment, the environment and transparency. Moreover, it was decided at the Amsterdam summit that the Schengen Cooperation is to be conducted within the EU framework.

The Norwegian and Islandic Governments have already negotiated an agreement with the Schengen countries. In the new situation, however, the two countries will have to negotiate a new agreement, based on the previous one, in order to take account of relations with the EU institutions. A priority in the negotiations will be to preserve the Nordic passport union.

Our efforts in the cause of employment, social welfare, the environment and freedom from travel restrictions will have a limited impact if we cannot ensure peace and security in the areas adjacent to the Nordic region, in Europe as a whole and in the rest of the world. This is why Nordic attention has been focused more closely than ever on the areas adjacent to our borders during the past year. We have sought, separately and jointly, to support the efforts of the Baltic states to become integrated into European and transatlantic structures.

From the point of view of security policy, the situation in the adjacent areas gives cause for optimism. The tensions of the Cold War have disappeared, and the pessimistic predictions that the old authoritarian structures in the East would be replaced by political and social chaos have not come true. For the smaller countries, the transition to a market economy and the development of democratic institutions appear to have gone more smoothly than was feared. For other countries, these processes will take longer. And although most of the trends we can see are positive, we must not close our eyes to the new threats and risks resulting from the restructuring processes.

We are witnessing the growth of a multitude of new cooperation structures across the old dividing lines. Within the framework of Nordic cooperation, we have developed an eastward-oriented policy and cooperation through our ties with the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the Baltic Assembly and through our strategy for the areas adjacent to the Nordic region. We are now in the process of identifying the new challenges to be discussed at the next summit in Riga in January, particularly in connection with the strengthening of the softer aspects of security in the adjacent areas.

We are following with great interest the Finnish efforts to involve the EU more actively in northern regions through the establishment of a "Northern dimension" in the EU. The Barents cooperation has helped us to forge contacts across national borders in the north, and to include Russia in a wider European context, where the Barents cooperation is part of a process of region-building. This cooperation forum is not politically controversial, either nationally or internationally; on the contrary, it is helping to stabilize relations between the Nordic countries and Russia in the north. We have found that specific projects that focus on the "human" dimension of cooperation often function best. Under the Norwegian chairmanship, we will therefore continue to concentrate on fields such as education and research, public health, cultural affairs, gender equality and information.

The NATO-Russia Founding Act has provided a sound basis for wide-ranging security policy cooperation between the Alliance and Russia. The NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (PJC) is already in operation, and the work of implementing the other aspects of the cooperation set out in this document is well under way. A comprehensive working plan for the PJC was adopted in September.

The Nordic countries must give high priority to cooperation with Russia. The work of the PJC can be supplemented both bilaterally and in other contexts, particularly within the framework of the Partnership for Peace and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

Next month, the NATO foreign ministers are to sign the accession protocols for Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. We presume that the protocols will be ratified by all member states. It will be particularly interesting to follow the debate in the US Congress. If Congress makes ratification subject to certain conditions, this may have an effect on subsequent rounds of enlargement.

From the point of view of the Nordic countries, there is reason to attach great importance to the statements from the Madrid summit on NATO's continued "open-door policy". The enlargement process is to be evaluated at a new summit in 1999. The Madrid declaration also referred to the Baltic states' membership aspirations. We must stand firm in our defence of the Baltic states' right to choose their form of association with the Alliance themselves.

The Nordic countries are actively involved in efforts to strengthen the defence sector in the Baltic countries and their ability to take part in peace-keeping operations and crisis management. The Baltic Security Assistance Group (BALTSEA) plays an important coordinating role in this work.

The establishment of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in May and the enhancement and development of the Partnership for Peace have improved the basis for the development of broad-based European security policy cooperation still further. Both fora can and should be used to forge stronger security policy ties between the countries of northern Europe.

Since the end of the Cold War, European politics have in many ways returned to normal, away from polarization between East and West and towards what historians have called "the European concert". A negative aspect of this trend has been the emergence of a number of regional conflicts, often arising from old conflicts that were previously kept in check by the tension between East and West. The most tragic regional conflict has been the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In addition, economic and ethnic differences have led to instability and at times open conflict in a number of countries in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The Nordic countries have also been more affected by unstable situations in adjacent areas than previously.

The OSCE continues to be one of our most important instruments for dealing with latent conflicts before they break out. The OSCE's preventive diplomacy is an effective form of peace-keeping. The Nordic countries play an active role in the OSCE and make substantial contributions to its activities in terms of both financial support and personnel. The Danish OSCE chairmanship has demonstrated dynamism in its leadership of the OSCE's preventive diplomacy. However, more efficient ways of funding the OSCE's activities must be found, but without increasing its expenses. Denmark has therefore taken the initiative for a financial reform of the organization. Norway, and I presume the Nordic region in general, supports this initiative. At the OSCE summit in Lisbon last year, Norway proposed that the OSCE should establish a crisis management fund to be used for operations that must be set in motion at short notice. Thanks to strong Nordic support, the proposal was adopted this summer. We believe that the fund should be expanded. In my opinion, the Nordic countries should continue their efforts to achieve this. If Norway joins the OSCE troika from the end of this year, this is one of the issues we will be focusing on.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina the consolidation of democracy is the most important means of preventing a new outbreak of war. The OSCE has been directly involved in the elections there and will also be responsible for the parliamentary elections in Republika Srpska later this month. However, if Bosnia-Herzegovina is to become democratic, much more is required than the holding and monitoring of elections. Democracy must be built from the bottom up. Norway has therefore made a special effort to develop the OSCEs democracy programme in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Under this programme the OSCE aims to promote the development of a free and independent press and to train NGOs to work at grass-roots level. Young politicians have learnt what is required in order for democracy to flourish. This is of course a long-term endeavour that will have to go on for many years, with the support of NATO and other organizations that can ensure stable political conditions. It would be irresponsible to assume that a couple of years is enough to democratize a formerly Communist country that has in addition experienced a terrible civil war. The people of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and their leaders, must be given an opportunity to experience how democracy works in practice.

Among the most important tasks of the OSCE is the inauguration of the newly elected municipal councils in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This issue is closely related to that of the repatriation of refugees, an issue to which we are giving high priority. Efforts are being made through the OSCE to solve the problem of ownership rights to housing, so that as many refugees as possible can return to their original homes. In this connection the repatriated refugees will also have to be protected against attack and the situation monitored.

Norway attaches great importance to continuing the close Nordic cooperation in the UN. The Nordic countries have a good reputation in a UN context as willing contributors and active bridge-builders between North and South. The Norwegian Government is interested in our countries continuing to play such a role. Through close Nordic consultations and through membership of various organizations and groups, we will be able to promote Nordic ideals and views effectively in the UN system. This has been demonstrated in the efforts to reform the Security Council, where joined Nordic proposals for increasing the number of permanent seats by five and the number of non-permanent seats by a limited number have featured centrally in the discussions. It has also been demonstrated in the work to follow up the Secretary-General's comprehensive proposals for reforming the UN, where the Nordic Foreign Ministers have fully supported Kofi Annan's reform package. Norway would strongly advocate that the Nordic countries continue their joined effort to ensure that the Secretary-General's important reform proposals are not diluted in the General Assembly.

We are concerned about the recent developments in Iraq. It is to be strongly deplored that the regime of president Saddam Hussein has once again failed to cooperate with the UN Special Commission set up to monitor Iraqs compliance with UN resolutions relating to weapons of mass destruction. The work of the Commission is of great importance and it is imperative that is be allowed to continue its inspections. It is now up to the Security Council to decide which measures are necessary to make Iraq comply with existing agreements and to resume its cooperation with the UN.

I agree with the Nordic Councils Presidium that we should pay special attention to the Kaliningrad area. The Presidium raised this question in a letter to my predecessor on 12 September. In this connection I have a few comments to make.

Russias westernmost province has had little opportunity to develop as a normal civil society based on a natural business sector. The military role assigned to the area during the Cold War has in fact been continued. Kaliningrad is still dominated by Russian defence forces, and its physical separation from the rest of Russia has done nothing to facilitate the establishment of new industries that can stand on their own feet.

In my opinion the OSCE is capable of ensuring transparency and stability in relation to the military forces in Kaliningrad and elsewhere. In addition, the CFE Agreement imposes clear limits on armament levels. The real challenge lies therefore in creating the kind of cooperation in the region that will give Kaliningrad fresh impetus. Broad-based cooperation at regional level will in itself build confidence. The Council of the Baltic Sea States is our most important instrument for promoting such cooperation in the areas bordering the Baltic, which of course include Kaliningrad.

The Nordic countries took an active part in the preparations for the Council of Europes second summit in Strasbourg on 10-11 October. Many of the proposals put forward by the Nordic countries were well received. The Finnish proposal for a commissioner for human rights was welcomed in the summits plan of action, as was the Norwegian proposal to further develop the surveillance mechanism and increase practical assistance in order to strengthen compliance with membership obligations. We are also pleased to note that the Swedish proposal to set up a programme to promote the interests of children was adopted as part of the plan of action.

After a standstill of six months in the Middle East peace process, it is encouraging to note that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Arafat met on 8 October and that work has been resumed in the nine bilateral negotiating committees. It is important that the parties show a genuine willingness to achieve concrete results in these committees, complete the implementation of the Oslo II Interim Agreement and embark on the final negotiations that should have been started in May last year. We fear the consequences if the parties fail yet again to establish a constructive dialogue and to solve the real problems.

At the same time we are concerned about Israels current settlement activities in the Palestinian areas and about the domestic difficulties that are so clearly to the detriment of the peace process. The Palestinians, for their part, must do much more to institutionalize respect for human rights and transparency and a sense of responsibility in financial matters. The Nordic countries have been at the forefront of human rights efforts in the Palestinian areas, and these efforts must be continued and intensified.

The situation in Algeria has worsened considerably in recent months. It seems that no stratum of society is being spared in the ruthless civil war raging there. The population of Algeria has our deepest sympathy for the tragedy that is being played out in all parts of the country.

The international community cannot turn its back on a conflict where between 60,000 and 100,000 people have been killed in the course of the past five years. There is no excuse for the meaningless violence that is being perpetrated by extremist organizations and factions in Algeria. Unless major groups are drawn into dialogue and given a say in the government of the country, the prospects look gloomy for a lasting peace that will safeguard the people from attack. The international community should do its utmost to promote a genuine dialogue between all the groups that deplore the use of violence.

The responsibility for protecting the civilian population from terrorist attacks lies with the authorities in Algeria. The international community is united in its appeal to President Zeroual to implement genuine economic and political reforms that allow for political influence and economic progress for the population as a whole. This is the only way to combat the serious social problems that are giving rise to such widespread discontent.

At the moment very few international NGOs are active in Algeria. There are no normal channels for the distribution of the available humanitarian aid to the victims. Efforts must be made to see that leading humanitarian organizations have safe working conditions in Algeria. The UN Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary executions will now be given an opportunity to visit the country. This is a welcome decision.

Central Africa is one of the areas that has in recent years called for very strong involvement on the part of the UN, but which has unfortunately shown up many of the UNs weaknesses with regard to safeguarding human rights and preserving peace and security. We have seen this in the genocide in Rwanda and its tragic consequences, the conflict in Burundi and, in the past year, in what happened in the former Zaïre, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This summer a bloody civil war broke out in the next-door Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), but in spite of several appeals for UN intervention to put a stop to hostilities, the Security Council was not willing to deploy UN forces given the chaotic situation prevailing in the country.

However, one serious consequence of this state of affairs is that the international aid organizations have also largely been prevented from delivering supplies and assistance to the war victims in the country. Norway has therefore supported the relief efforts being directed by Norwegian and Swedish missionary organizations through their local church networks, which are involved in the campaign "Let the Congo Live".

Although the situation in the Republic of Congo is chaotic, the worst of the fighting seems to be over. It is therefore important that the UN and the international community actively support a national reconciliation process that will result as swiftly as possible in free elections and the restoration of democracy.

As I mentioned by way of introduction, the year that is now drawing to a close has been an interesting and successful one for Nordic cooperation. I would like to conclude by adding that this report will be followed by a report on defence and security policy - the first in the Council's history - by the Norwegian Minister of Defence. Thus, we will have a sound basis for a stimulating debate in this chamber tomorrow.

Thank you for your attention.