Textbox 5.1 The importance of good logistics

The importance of a well-prepared meeting cannot be underestimated. Logistics is often a large and important part of the work on conflict resolution. Peace processes can break down almost before they have begun, if the practical aspects go wrong. The following description is from a secret meeting in Norway between the parties to the war in Libya in 2011. It shows several of the dilemmas when arranging secret meetings, such as complying with the parties’ need for secrecy, avoiding a bad start, and treating the parties equally and with the respect they expect:

The delegations had to arrive separately. If they were left idle together in the hallway outside, there was a risk that the opening would go wrong. Besides, we had to decide who should go first. And where they should be placed. Those who came in and sat down first were, in a way, the room’s owners. If you are placed closest to the door, the feeling of being a visitor grows. Both can seem biased and be seen an expression that we as hosts have taken a stand. When two sovereign, independent states meet, this can be solved by placing a table crosswise with the short side facing the door. For us, it was more complicated. Gaddafi was still the ruler of a state, while the TNC was a rebel group in enemy territory. At the same time, Jalil and TNC were already recognised by France and Qatar, among others. In the end [… it was decided that we should] base ourselves on the formal status of the parties. Zidan knew that Norway did not regard his group as Libya’s new ruler. Gaddafi’s people should therefore sit down first, and the table could stand with the long side facing the door. We spent hours on similar details. The size and shape of the table, for example. And the meeting room. Intimate and small or grand and official? The decision was made to find a small room, preferably hidden deep inside a hotel, to create security. Then we had to track down a table that was short but wide enough to create sufficient distance. On the outside of the room, we needed two more meeting rooms. One for “B” and one for “T”, for clothes and phones, and for breaks in the meeting if the atmosphere became heated.¹

Textbox 5.2 Cooperation with South Africa

Norway has a long-standing cooperation with South Africa in the field of peace and reconciliation. South Africa has valuable experience from its own history of a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy and is a major diplomatic power on the African continent. Norway’s commitment to counter racial segregation in South Africa became strong throughout the 1960s. Together with the Nordic countries, Norway provided political and financial support to the liberation movement, including the largest party, the African National Congress, and to refugees in neighbouring countries. Norwegian solidarity and aid organisations participated actively. Among other things, Norwegian Church Aid and the Inter-Church Council were part of a Christian network that worked strategically to combat the policy of racial segregation. The apartheid regime came to an end through several major and minor negotiations between political parties in the period 1990–1993. Norway actively supported these processes. After the first free elections in 1994, and before the country got a new constitution in 1996, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established. This was a pioneer in international reconciliation work and was led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Bilateral cooperation in this field currently has a particular focus on skills development and the inclusion of women in peace mediation and conflict resolution on the African continent.