PROGRESS PARTY LEADER SIV JENSEN DISCUSSES

UNCLAS OSLO 000778 SENSITIVE, SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/NB, S/SRAP, NEA/IPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL OEXC PGOV IR NO IQ AF SUBJECT: PROGRESS PARTY LEADER SIV JENSEN DISCUSSES AFGHANISTAN, MIDEAST, NOBEL WITH AMBASSADOR ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Siv Jensen, leader of the right-wing Progress Party (the largest opposition party in Norway) told the Ambassador December 15 that the most important aspect of President Obama's Nobel speech was his success in communicating to the younger generation, which does not recall World War II's lessons or the relevance of NATO, that war is sometimes necessary, as it is Afghanistan today. Asked for her views about the President's West Point speech articulating Afghanistan/Pakistan strategy, Jensen said her one regret about Norway's response to it is that PM Stoltenberg's left-leaning coalition government should have offered to contribute more Norwegian troops instead of "trying to buy its way out of its obligations by financing" Afghan trust funds. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Ambassador White, Pol/Econ Counselor, and POL LES met with Progress Party (FrP) leader Siv Jensen at her office in the Parliament December 15 for an initial courtesy call, just days after the President's visit to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Jensen, who is a member of the Parliament's newly combined Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, was accompanied by her party's international affairs secretary Kristian Norheim. Afghanistan and President's Nobel Speech -------------- ¶3. (U) Jensen and Erna Solberg (leader of Norway's second largest opposition party, the Conservative Party (Hoyre)),had just returned from the U.S. on December 9. Jensen was impressed with a talk she attended by Madeleine Albright, emphasizing the need for more open, democratic debate within NATO countries on the importance of NATO in a historical context. Obama's Nobel speech was excellent in many ways; the most important, in Jensen's view, was his success in communicating with younger generations the historical context for NATO's vital role in Afghanistan today. ¶4. (SBU) Jensen and her Progress Party are supportive of the new increased financial contribution that PM Stoltenberg announced after meeting President Obama December 10. She said her one regret was that the government of Norway "bought its way out of" its obligations by contributing financially instead of offering more troops, as she would have liked. She acknowledged that Norway's cadre of internationally deployable troops was "not where it needs to be," but added, "Norway is involved in Afghanistan for the long term. We will not bail out." ¶5. (U) Jensen praised the President for raising the subject of Somalia in his Nobel speech. NATO and the EU are both involved in counter-piracy operations (and Norway was involved in the EU ATALANTA mission),but "piracy is just a symptom of a larger problem that needs to be addressed." She was glad to hear President Obama mention Somalia in the broader context, and she expected more attention on Somalia from the world community. (The President said: "...in a world in which threats are more diffuse, and missions more complex, America cannot act alone. America alone cannot secure the peace. This is true in Afghanistan. This is true in failed states like Somalia, where terrorism and piracy is joined by famine and human suffering.") Iran and MidEast Peace -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Ambassador mentioned the USG's concerns about Iran and its nuclear program, noting the U.S. would be looking to Norway and other partners for help in keeping the pressure on Iran at the United Nations. Jensen said her party was very concerned about Iran and the threat it posed to the broader region. She would bring up Iran policy when Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari visited Norway's parliament the next day. ¶7. (SBU) Asked for her views on the GON's role in the Middle East peace process, Jensen explained that the Progress Party tried hard to provide public "balance" to the currently unbalanced picture of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict provided by the Norwegian media. She said the Progress Party stands up for Israel and its right to exist as a secure, democratic state in a non-democratic region which is hostile to it. She was glad the Red-Green coalition government spoke out publicly against the recent proposal at NTNU University in Trondheim to boycott Israeli academics. She worried, however, that anti-Semitic ideas were too present in some quarters of Norwegian society, and said unbalanced media reporting on the Middle East was contributing to this phenomenon. She said the tendency was most obvious during unprecedented, violent riots that broke out in Oslo during the Gaza war in January 2009. For example, she explained, in January she gave what she thought was a balanced speech seeking security for both Israelis and Palestinians at an "Israel for Peace" rally outside the Parliament during the Gaza conflict, and she needed civilian police protection for months afterward as a result. The Ambassador asked if Jensen had any specific ideas for ways to encourage balance or neutral coverage of the Middle East conflict in the media or public/academic discussions in Norway. She replied, "if you (the U.S.) can find a way to do something about that, it would be wonderful." Opposition's chances better in 2013? -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Turning to domestic politics and her party's future plans, Jensen said that the Progress Party had grown steadily in recent years, and was a natural ally with the Conservative Party. The three Red Green coalition parties (Labor, Socialist Left, and the Center Party),pulled off a narrow victory in September's elections, winning 86 seats to the opposition party's 83 seats in Parliament. She wished the four "non-socialist" opposition parties could have stood together in support of a change of government instead of bickering and in-fighting, which she feels cost the opposition the election. Her party remains open for cooperation with the Liberals (Venstre) and the Christian Democrats (KRF); it was those parties which turned that invitation down. Jensen said her main priority for the 2013 elections will be to unify the opposition around the idea of establishing a formal coalition as a clear alternative to the current government. The change of leadership of the Liberal/Venstre party in recent days could open the way for future cooperation that was not possible when Lars Sponheim headed the party, she noted. ¶9. (SBU) Jensen explained the Progress Party's stand regarding the need for stricter Norwegian immigration and asylum policies, stating that Norway maintained the most liberal policy in Europe in recent years, even as "every other country" tightened entry rules. She stated that many come to Norway with false pretenses, claiming to be refugees. Her belief was that the Labor Party itself now understood the problem, and a majority of Norwegians favored a tightening of entry requirements, but that the Socialist Left Party was blocking the coalition government from implementing desired reforms. She thought Norway could learn from how the U.S. system integrates its citizens, whether immigrants or refugees. Women who come to Norway as immigrants or refugees from repressive societies ought to be able to assume they're coming to a liberal, democratic country with all the freedoms and rights associated with it, she said. Instead, women in many minority communities here are facing forced marriage and other human rights abuses, she said. "That should not happen here." Expanding U.S.-Norway Educational Exchanges -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Finally, the Ambassador mentioned he would continue to place a priority on expanding U.S. - Norway educational exchanges, including the goal of having more Norwegians study at the undergraduate level in the United States. The Ambassador described the obstacle posed by the Norwegian government's rule of funding only three years of undergraduate study abroad, not four, which in practice, inhibited many Norwegian students from choosing the U.S. for their studies. Jensen said she fully supported the Ambassador's effort and had tried to get the current government to alter the rules and fund all four years, including the freshman year. "It wouldn't be that expensive for the government to fund the full four years," she said. She suggested the Ambassador might usefully raise the matter with, among others, Socialist Left party leader Kristin Halvorsen, who was Minister of Finance from 2005-2009 and is now Minister of Education in the Stoltenberg III government. (Note: The Embassy will also continue to work this matter with Tora Aasland -- also from the Socialist Left party -- who is Minister of Research and Higher Education. Her department handles education above the secondary level and hosts the TransAtlantic Education Forum, which promotes U.S.-Canada -Norway educational exchanges.) WHITE