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Viewing cable 09OSLO778, PROGRESS PARTY LEADER SIV JENSEN DISCUSSES

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09OSLO778 2009-12-17 12:17 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Oslo
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNY #0778/01 3511217
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171217Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8053
INFO RUEHNO/USNATO BRUSSELS BE
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 2573
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 3447
RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 8112
RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK 0896
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0366
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1368
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0498
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0228
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