Mr President,
Participation in military
operations abroad is an integral and important part of Norwegian
security and defence policy. Through our involvement we make a
contribution towards peace while at the same time demonstrating our
solidarity with the international community. Taking part in such
operations abroad helps to strengthen international security, and
hence Norway’s own security. At the same time it is important that
Norway should play its part in fulfilling the obligations of the
international community by participating in peace operations.
As the Foreign Minister has
mentioned, the Government attaches crucial importance to there
being a clear UN mandate for Norwegian participation in military
operations abroad. It is an essential precondition for the use of
military force that it should be firmly based in international
law.
In 2006 we will at least maintain
the present extent of Norway’s military participation abroad. One
of the Government’s important objectives is to increase our level
of support for the UN, including the organisation’s military
operations. Altogether Norway currently contributes just under 50
persons to UN led operations. It is our clear ambition to increase
this figure. Work has already been set in motion to identify in
more detail the needs of the UN and what contributions we might be
able to make towards meeting such needs. We have initiated a
dialogue with the UN as to how Norway can help to strengthen the
work of the UN in its peace operations. Among other avenues, we are
looking at the possibility of Nordic cooperation in this area.
As the Foreign Minister mentioned
in his statement, the Government intends to return shortly with a
more wide-ranging statement that will also cover increased
Norwegian engagement in UN activities.
Mr President,
NATO’s stabilisation operation in
Afghanistan, in the form of the International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) which has a clear UN mandate, will remain our
principal area of overseas engagement. The Norwegian contribution
to ISAF will now be concentrated in Northern Afghanistan. During
spring 2006 a regional command will be established in the north of
the country with Germany as the lead nation. With Germany in the
lead role, we will also be cooperating closely with forces from
Finland, Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands. The Norwegian
contribution will include a contingent of 180 persons for the ISAF
Quick Reaction Force, a medical element, a transport management
element, supply and logistics personnel for the Forward Support
Base in Mazar e Sharif and a number of personnel for central staff
duties. At the same time we will continue to provide a small number
of staff officers serving at ISAF’s headquarters in
Kabul.
On 1 September this year Norway
took over the leadership of the Provincial Reconstruction Team
(PRT) in Meymaneh in Northern Afghanistan, in which Finland and
Iceland are also participating. The PRT concept is central to ISAF
and has proved to be an effective instrument for the support of
local authorities and thereby extending the authority of the Afghan
central government in the provinces.
The PRT concept consists of both
military and civil elements. The Norwegian Armed Forces are
contributing to the military element, the principal objective of
which is to help to achieve a positive development in the security
situation in the provinces. It is the civil element that deals with
aid and overall development.
The PRT in Meymaneh includes a
number of military units which carry out patrols throughout the
province. This enables ISAF to be aware of security challenges and
the progress of development in different areas, for example by
gathering information which could be relevant to possible aid
projects. These activities help to ensure that both the Afghan
central government and the international community have a visible
presence in the provinces.
The civil element of the
stabilisation team in Meymaneh consists of an aid policy adviser
and a civil police adviser. This gives us a very good basis for the
assessment of aid-related needs in the area which, from Norway’s
viewpoint, should be helpful when planning how best to channel our
resources. At the same time it is important to maintain
independence and a clear distinction between military activities
and the activities of the humanitarian aid organisations.
Mr President,
The Government intends to send 3 to
4 F-16 aircraft to Afghanistan for a period of three months in
spring 2006. The aircraft will form part of a Netherlands-led
detachment. This deployment is in response to a request from NATO
in view of the increased need for air support following the
extension of ISAF’s activities into an increasing number of
provinces. The objective is to ensure that ISAF has access to
combat aircraft capable of demonstrating a presence and, if
necessary, of providing close air support to units on the ground if
critical situations should arise.
In some situations ISAF is
dependent on air support for the safety and security of its
personnel. Until last winter, ISAF had no combat aircraft
specifically assigned to it. Up to that point, ISAF had to depend
on support from the US-led operation “Enduring Freedom”. The
extension of ISAF’s operations into an increasing number of
provinces now means that protection of its personnel involves
greater demands on resources. This is especially the case as
operations are extended into the southern provinces.
Aircraft under the command if ISAF
may, in emergency situations, be called upon to assist ground
forces engaged in the US-led operation “Enduring Freedom” (OEF).
This could happen in certain very specific situations in which
personnel from OEF are subject to attack or otherwise find
themselves in a crisis situation. This arrangement is enshrined in
an agreement dating from 2003 concerning mutual support between
ISAF and OEF. It is established practice, when there is more than
one military operation taking place in a given area, that such
aspects of the relationship between them are covered by an
agreement.
Those in overall command of the two
operations will be empowered to ask each other for support. In the
event ISAF rendering assistance to OEF, ISAF’s rules of engagement
will apply. It is emphasised that aircraft under ISAF’s command
shall not operate in any offensive role in connection with
operations being conducted under the auspices of OEF. As a
consequence of the fact that it is OEF that has the most resources,
it has hitherto been ISAF that has made most use of the
aforementioned agreement. In that ISAF is being given an
independent F-16 capability, the need to call on OEF for close air
support will be reduced.
The Norwegian contribution will
form part of the F-16 cooperation agreed between a number of
European countries. The aircraft will be under the operational
command of ISAF and will be stationed in Kabul. A Norwegian liaison
officer will be appointed to serve with the ISAF headquarters staff
whose task will be to look after Norwegian interests in connection
with operations in which the Norwegian aircraft may be taking part.
From the Norwegian side we will ensure that at all times the
operation will be conducted in accordance with ISAF’s mandate and
Norway’s obligations under international law. NATO’s ability to
contribute a close air support capability is crucial to ensuring
the safety of personnel on the ground and hence to ISAF’s ability
to carry out its mission.
The situation in Afghanistan is
characterised by demanding security challenges, difficult
topographical and climatic conditions and a lack of infrastructure.
It is very important that the forces deployed to Afghanistan are
well trained and equipped so that they are able to carry out their
tasks under the difficult conditions encountered in that
country.
Work is proceeding within NATO on a
revision of the operational plan covering the extension of NATO’s
involvement to the provinces in the south and east of the country.
In the northern and western provinces ISAF’s presence is now
established. The Alliance faces still further challenges associated
with resistance from insurgency movements and a variety of criminal
groupings, as well as with ethnic antagonisms and the production of
narcotics. As ISAF extends its activities southwards and eastwards,
the security situation could become more difficult and NATO forces
could encounter threats from Taliban and residual al-Qaida
elements.
Preparations are being made for a
significant increase in the number of NATO troops in ISAF. We must
therefore expect further requests for member nations to increase
their force contributions. Experience has shown that it is
difficult to satisfy ISAF’s force requirements. The extension of
ISAF’s activities to the south and east should not be confused with
the ongoing debate within NATO concerning the possibility of
merging ISAF and OEF at some time in the future.
Norway’s involvement in OEF will
end during the course of January 2006 in accordance with the Soria
Moria Declaration. As already mentioned, we will be concentrating
on ISAF for our future engagement in Afghanistan.
Mr President,
The withdrawal of Norwegian
personnel from the multinational Stabilisation Force in Iraq has
already started and will be completed by mid-December. Norwegian
participation in NATO’s training mission will also be wound down in
accordance with the Government’s declaration. Personnel will be
withdrawn in connection with the next rotation of NATO forces which
is due to take place in December. All directly appointed Norwegian
officers will thus have left Iraq by mid-December.
As the Foreign Minister mentioned
in his statement, no national limitations will be placed on
Norwegian officers serving in NATO’s command structure with regard
to possible duty in Iraq. It is important, both from the point of
view of NATO’s credibility and from considerations of operational
capability, that NATO should be free to deploy personnel in
particular military staff appointments to carry out their duties.
The training of Iraqi officers at Jåttå under the auspices of NATO
will be continued.
The additional costs associated
with the above-mentioned national contributions will be covered
within the framework of the funding allocated in the Defence Budget
for 2006, Chapter 1792, Norwegian forces abroad.
