Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Petersen

Sharing Intelligence and Information on Terrorist Threats to the Transatlantic Community

Oslo, 20 October 2004

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Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you, [John] [Dr Hamre], for your kind words

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all to this conference. Today’s topic is a very timely one: what the transatlantic community can do to enhance the sharing of intelligence and information on terrorist threats.

The international community has been hard hit by terrorism since 2001. The 9/11 attack, the train bombs in Madrid, and the Beslan school atrocities, are tragic reminders that terrorists may strike at any time, anywhere. These events have also opened our eyes to the fact that terrorists would not hesitate to use weapons and materials of mass destruction either.

This means that international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction represent the defining threats to our security today. They are, by definition, threats to us all.

Terrorism is not a new threat. But the scale and brutality of recent terrorist operations have altered our lives and our thinking. Today, terrorism threats are immediately communicated around the globe by the media. In a way, we have all become victims. Terrorism creates fear and chaos and it hampers economic and social development. Terrorism is a global, moveable threat. The unpredictability of terrorist acts is one of our greatest challenges.

The amount of information that must be assimilated in order to provide a better picture of emerging threats is huge and growing. The fluid threat pictures are demanding more resources than ever.

No democratic nation can evade its responsibility to help combat terror. And our message must be crystal clear: No goal can justify the use of terror. No cause can justify the loss of innocent lives. Terror must never prevail.

There is, however, no single recipe for combating terror. Terrorism is a global threat. Only through resolute, concerted, co-ordinated international efforts can the fight against these serious security challenges succeed. And we must employ a broad range of means. Humanitarian, diplomatic, political and military measures are all necessary. We must be fully aware of the challenges we are facing.

These measures, in my view, include the need to look more closely into how we can co-operate more effectively on the sharing of information, and intelligence information in particular.

Intelligence should provide the basis for decisions and concrete actions against terrorists. – This applies only if the quality of information is correct and reliable. Policy decisions based on incorrect information can have serious implications.

Therefore, it is not sufficient to provide decision-makers merely with conclusions or recommendations. In order for governments to make the right decisions, they need to see the full picture. We need not only to know what the conclusions are, but why they are the conclusions.

The intelligence community will only be able to maintain its relevance and importance if decision-makers know that they can trust the information it gathers, provides – and shares. But, in the end the making of the appropriate policy decisions is, of course, a government’s responsibility.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Norway has always considered the close bonds across the Atlantic to be the best guarantee of international peace, stability and security. The strong relationship is built on shared values - a clear commitment to democracy, human rights, good governance and the rule of law.

Close transatlantic ties are crucial if we are to be able to effectively address the security policy challenges we are facing. I am convinced that firm transatlantic ties will be as essential in meeting the threats of the 21st century as they were in meeting the challenges of the past.

NATO’s ability to promote stability beyond the transatlantic community is dependent on a close partnership with the EU. This is essential for ensuring confidence and co-operation across the Atlantic.

An efficient division of labour in this respect must also include Russia. Russia is deeply involved in the fight against international terrorism, and has capabilities and experience that are valuable for the transatlantic community as a whole. We should therefore continue to develop a pragmatic relationship with Russia on sharing information on terrorist threats.

We must pull together. Developing closer co-operation between NATO, the EU and Russia will be crucial to our fight against international terrorism.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is a need for a stronger, clearer and more distinct regime for the collection, sharing and assessment of information. This must be done in a multilateral manner, and no organisation within the transatlantic community is better equipped for this task than NATO.

One of the most sensitive areas of any military alliance is the analysis and dissemination of intelligence. Today’s NATO intelligence structure relies primarily on such inputs from member countries.

In my view, today’s solutions for gathering information and assessing intelligence within NATO are not well enough adapted to the new, complex realities.

We need to reform the co-operation within the Alliance so that it corresponds better to the level of threat we are facing.

Co-operation between intelligence services is – and will continue to be - more important than ever.

Experience tells us that the exchange of intelligence reports can be compared to a closed market. The market value of each nation’s intelligence service depends on its ability to collect and analyse unique material - and at the same time to be regarded as trustworthy enough to receive similar material in exchange.

Thus, building a stronger regime for sharing information and intelligence within the Alliance will be a gradual process. Each member country must be convinced that integrating the intelligence services more closely will be in its own interest. Progress in this respect will not be made in leaps and bounds, but by taking one practical step at a time.

More effective co-operation on information sharing is a logical step towards a more efficient, co-ordinated fight against terrorism by the transatlantic community. In this regard today’s conference will be a good opportunity to set the agenda and determine some key issues and questions that need to be addressed.

In concluding, I would like to thank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), for their valuable insight and assistance in arranging this conference in co-operation with the Foreign Ministry.

I wish you all a fruitful and constructive day of discussions. I am confident that at the end of it you will be able to make some suggestions for new ways of moving forward on these vital matters.

One thing is obvious: our ability to deal with future challenges to security - within and beyond the borders of the transatlantic community - will depend on the progress we make. - Progress in terms of sharing and analysing the items of information in our possession. Lack of information allows terrorist threats to develop. More effective co-operation on information sharing will lead to a more coherent response to these threats.

Thank you for your attention.