Norway’s new FM Jonas Gahr Store was interviewed on BBC’s
ASIA Today programme by Humphrey Hawksley Broadcast on
Thursday 27th Oct
[October 28, 2005 - 9.00 GMT]
Transcript of the interview
Q
: How will the Norwegian
position be affected if a Sinhalese nationalist-backed government comes
to power taking a harder line in negotiations on the peace process?
A :
This new Norwegian government is restating our readiness to play a role
if the parties so wish. Once the elections are held we have to sit down
with the parties and lay out what we can do. Then it will be up to the
parties to invite us to continue to play that role. We are ready to
contribute but it really has to be owned by the parties. Under the
circumstances which will lead from these elections.
Q
: Do you get a sense that either of these parties actually want
peace?
A :
That is our sense. There would have been no ceasefire agreement, no
initial progress if that sense hadn’t been there on both sides.
Q
: What sort of setback was the assassination of the Foreign
Minister, Mr. Kadirgamar?
A :
Among the important setbacks clearly. That kind of violence on either
side will always represent a setback.
Q
: You say either side but one side in actually a non-elected
movement and the other side is an elected government?
A :
True but I’m trying to portray that in a process like this you have to
be robust enough to deal with setbacks when they arise. They have risen
before and they may certainly come again.
Q
: You are accused, aren’t you by many of your critics as being
pro-Tamil in this, by seeing the side of a non-elected fairly violent
terror group?
A :
Well you know, we’ve been in office for a week. We are taking forward a
Norwegian role as a mediator, third party facilitator and we have to
play that role if it is accepted by both parties. Then the perceptions
may shift. But critical to that kind of third party role is an
acceptance by all parties and that is what we are ready to re-establish
as soon as these elections are held.
Q
: Is there an unacceptable level of violence when you will say we
will no longer be dealing with the Tamil Tigers?
A :
In general, our approach to this as a third party with no direct
interests as a country in the conflict is to leave these key questions
to the parties. If the parties are ready to seek solutions and to deal
with each other with our contribution we are ready to make an effort.
Q : the
nub of this is that whereas general international opinion is that there
should be no negotiations and no dealing with violent insurgent groups,
terror groups as they’re called, you are happy to sit down with the
Tamil Tigers and act as a peacemaker?
A :
I would say the parties deal with each other and we are facilitating
that… our offices are those of good offices and it has to be owned by
the parties and if we can play a role there towards peace, less
suffering for all sides we will play that role. But it is the key that
it has to be owned by the parties. It is the parties which have to
accept the process and thus in a way by accept each other.
Q
: And whatever the outcome…what sort of conditions are needed there
now for peace?
A :
Generally, we should be cautious of being very detailed on that, ahead
of elections in a country that will hold it’s own elections, but I come
back to the answer that right after those elections we will, from the
Norwegian side, sit down with the parties to see if there are conditions
for us to continue to play that role. If that’s the case we will play
it and we will make sure that we will explain our potential to
contribute but underline again that there are certain conditions they
have to live up to in the way they interact with each other.
Q
: Have their been lost opportunities over the years?
A :
I don’t think so. I think again this has moved that very tragic process
forward towards something in the future which can be a good result for
all sides. But then we have to live with the appearance of setbacks
from time to time as we’ve seen in other conflicts. That is part of
the nature of these kinds of processes. It is painful for the parties
but hopefully at the end of that process there are also benefits which
will be reaped by all sides.
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Last Updated
Date: October 28, 2005 - 9.00 GMT |
