Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06OSLO661
2006-05-22 14:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Oslo
Cable title:  

U/S SHINER'S VISIT TO OSLO

Tags:  AORC PREL ENRG UN NO KPAL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0024
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNY #0661/01 1421408
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 221408Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4014
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1355
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0481
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0911
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0551
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO PRIORITY 0129
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 1744
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY 0129
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM PRIORITY 0210
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY 2846
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 3894
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1267
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0161
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000661 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016
TAGS: AORC PREL ENRG UN NO KPAL
SUBJECT: U/S SHINER'S VISIT TO OSLO


Classified By: Ambassador Benson K. Whitney, reason 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000661

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016
TAGS: AORC PREL ENRG UN NO KPAL
SUBJECT: U/S SHINER'S VISIT TO OSLO


Classified By: Ambassador Benson K. Whitney, reason 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary: On May 16, Under Secretary Josette Shiner
met in Oslo with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
and the PM,s team working on the UN High Level Panel for
Reform. The Norwegians laid out their plans for moving
forward the work of the panel, including establishing the
advancement of the Millennium Development Goals as benchmarks
for assessing UN agencies, performance. U/S Shiner and PM
Stoltenberg also discussed energy issues, focusing on the
role that Norway plays as a stable and major world energy
supplier, and the U/S met with senior oil and gas industry
leaders and government officials. In a joint press
appearance, both U/S Shiner and PM Stoltenberg stressed that
Hamas must meet the central demands of the international
community, including acknowledgment of Israel's right to
exist and the renunciation of violence. End Summary.

--------------
UN Panel
--------------


2. (SBU) Norwegian PM Stoltenberg is co-chairman of the High
Level UN Panel charged with coming up with proposals for
strengthening the UN. The Panel is to report its findings
before the General Assembly in September 2006. Given this
short timeline, the Norwegians are anxious to get the process
started. Stoltenberg indicated that while the Panel's
Secretariat will do good work, he believes the fastest way

SIPDIS
forward is if the individual countries on the panel put
forward written papers that can be circulated prior to the
Panel meeting June 2, where the ideas can be discussed. U/S
Shiner has been working on papers on building trade capacity
and instituting practices to institute the UN as an
institution of public trust. Stoltenberg specifically asked
that the United States contribute its ideas as soon as
possible in writing. Stoltenberg will then liaise with his
co-chairs on how best to circulate these national papers.
Stoltenberg shares our goal to make the UN as effective as
possible and clearly is interested in working with us to
achieve this goal.


3. (SBU) Norway's major theme, welcomed by U/S Shiner, is

that in order to rationalize the work by various UN agencies,
it is necessary to have clear and objective performance
indicators. Norway suggests that the starting point for
measuring the UN agencies' performance should be the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Each UN agency should
be asked to demonstrate how its efforts are contributing to
the achievement of these goals. Because the MDGs are already
accepted by the UN's diverse membership, the MDGs can provide
off-the-shelf performance indicators, obviating the need for
the panel to embark on the painful and uncertain effort of
agreeing on a new definition of the UN's priorities with
corresponding measurement tools.


4. (SBU) Also, acknowledging that every country has its pet
UN agencies, having objective indicators that can be used to
measure UN agencies' performance will be a more rational way
to determine which agencies are performing their mission, and
which are not. As an immediate step at demonstrating UN
credibility, some agencies' missions are probably ripe for
wrapping up. An example of agencies that should come under
close scrutiny by the panel, Stoltenberg said, are the
regional economic development agencies. Stoltenberg agreed
with U/S Shiner that other agencies with dubious records
could be repositioned and strengthened. For example, UNCTAD
could usefully play a role in trade capacity building,
helping developing countries position themselves for
participation in the global economy.


5. (SBU) Stoltenberg and U/S Shiner also agreed that the
panel needed to focus on ways that UN agencies can become
better coordinated. Members of Stoltenberg's panel suggested
that it would be difficult if the in-country coordination
function was assumed by one of the various competing
agencies. Rather the Norwegian suggested that an independent
and separately funded coordinator, who would have authority
over the various UN agencies in-country, might be an idea the
panel should consider. To start the process it might be a
good idea, U/S Shiner suggested and the Norwegians agreed, to
put in place a coordination model in a number (ten) pilot
countries. Or even, if the panel comes up with more than one
viable coordination model, perhaps two or three different
sets of pilot countries should be evaluated over a control
period to see which coordination model worked best.


6. (SBU) Stoltenberg was clear that it was not the Norwegian
intention that the panel should set out a single program for
UN reform. Rather, Stoltenberg sees the panel's job as
launching a process of reform within the UN. This ongoing
reform process should lead over time to a strengthening of
the UN's credibility.

-------------- --------------
Norway: Stable Energy Producer for Europe and the World
-------------- --------------


7. (U) Enthused about energy issues, Stoltenberg told U/S
Shiner that Norway's role as a major (and stable) energy
supplier is Norway's "most important contribution to Europe
and the world." Stoltenberg noted that Norway supplies
France and Germany, respectively, with 35 per cent and 25 per
cent of their domestic natural gas. Norway supplies the UK
with 26 percent of its oil, and when the Orme Lange project
is completed -- "Norway's moon landing," Stoltenberg called
the technology -- Norway will provide a significantly
increased proportion of Britain's natural gas too.


8. (C) Norway has proven to be a stable supplier, and agrees
with the U.S. on the importance to European energy security
of Europe diversifying its energy sources. Stoltenberg noted
that one real constraint in Norway's ability to serve as an
alternative supplier of gas to European markets is ownership
of the delivery infrastructure. Russia still owns the
pipelines, is intent on controlling more of the
infrastructure, and does not view energy as an ordinary
commodity, but as a political tool. In fact, Stoltenberg
noted that the price of Norwegian participation in the huge
Shtockmann field in the Russian Barents would be Russian
access to Norwegian infrastructure. Stoltenberg also noted
that Norway is currently producing at near capacity, so in
order for Norway's deliveries to increase, new sources need
to be found. One of the problems associated with exploration
in the offshore arctic environment is the high cost and risks
to companies. Also, these potential resources are a long way
away from markets and would require a substantial investment
in infrastructure. Added to these difficulties, Norway and
Russia still have not managed to resolve their 30-year old
maritime border dispute, and while negotiations are ongoing,
there is no settlement in sight.


9. (C) Stoltenberg also commented on the situation in
Bolivia and Venezuela, noting that the actions taken to
nationalize industries was surprising, old-fashioned, and
dangerous. It is right and natural that governments should
reap financial benefits from profitable extractive industries
in their countries, but there are better ways to increase
national income from oil and gas than nationalization. For
example, Norway has been a predictable and good supplier that
has good relations with foreign energy companies, at the same
time as Norway has strong public ownership in the energy
sector and very high taxes. Stoltenberg also noted that, in
Norway's energy dialogue and assistance to other countries,
Norway works hard to promote sustainable development and
poverty reduction as necessary corollaries of the energy
business. U/S Shiner thanked Norway for its involvement with
the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI),
including Norwegian hosting of an upcoming fall 2006 EITI
ministerial. She also shared the U.S. emphasis on energy
security as a critical component for the G-8 Summit.

--------------
Hamas Visas
--------------

10. (U) After their two hour (plus) meeting, U/S Shiner and
PM Stoltenberg met together with Norwegian journalists. They
were asked to comment on the news that earlier on May 16 the
Norwegian MFA had decided to issue a Schengen visa to Hamas
parliamentarian Yahya el-Abadza. With U/S Shiner at his
side, Stoltenberg said that the two of them had privately
discussed the Middle East situation and then said that Norway
is fully in line with the international community's demands
on Hamas, including that Hamas acknowledge Israel's right to
exist and that Hamas renounce violence. U/S Shiner also
noted that while we disagree on the subject of issuing visas
to Hamas, not seeing eye-to-eye on every issue does not
undermine the many areas where the U.S. and Norway work
together well, citing Sri Lanka and Sudan as examples.

--------------
Embassy Comment
--------------


11. (C) U/S Shiner is the highest ranking USG official to
visit Norway since the Stoltenberg government came to power
last October. The scheduled one-hour meeting with the PM
meant to focus on UN panel issues became an over 2-hour
affair as Stoltenberg was eager to discuss bilateral issues;
in particular, how Norway can play a meaningful role in
promoting energy security and the growing importance of the
Arctic "High North." Stoltenberg was recently stung by
public criticism that he is not paying sufficient attention
to the relationship with the U.S. on the heels of two press
reports, one that unhappiness at the White House over
Stoltenberg's decision to pull-out of Iraq has meant that a
meeting request with the President was rejected, and the
other that Stoltenberg chose not to meet a group of six U.S.
Senators last fall.


12. (C) The fact that the PM decided to do a joint press
appearance with U/S Shiner and spend so much time with her
was a clear attempt to quiet his critics. While we welcome
his effort, we remain unconvinced that Stoltenberg is
prepared to muzzle the far-left Socialist Left party junior
coalition partner's anti-Americanism. Having failed in his
first stint as PM in 2000, Stoltenberg is determined to keep
his majority coalition in power and has so far chosen to
distance his government from us in order to appease the
far-left domestically. We are encouraged, however, that
Stoltenberg and FM Stoere are starting to realize that they
cannot take partnership with the U.S. for granted and that to
maintain our historically strong ties requires more effort
and less criticism on their part. We see the issues of the
High North and energy as an area where we have common
interests and where we can both benefit from closer
engagement, particularly as the Norwegians are anxious about
Russia's potential use of energy as a political tool.


13. (U) U/S Shiner cleared this message.


Visit Oslo's Classified website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/oslo/index.cf m

WHITNEY