Clarification of Norway’s policy in Somalia

In response to the considerable recent media focus on Norway’s policy in Somalia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify the following points.

Norway has no intention to withdraw from the International Contact Group on Somalia, as has been claimed in some media reports. This is a misunderstanding. However, at the last Contact Group meeting in Addis Ababa on 30 January, which was hosted by the African Union (AU), there was discussion on restructuring the Group to make it more operational. A proposal is currently being discussed for linking the Contact Group more closely up to the UN, and for it to be headed by the UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. This proposal will be further discussed at the next Contact Group meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Oslo at the end of April this year.

Norway will continue to actively support the efforts to deploy an effective international peacekeeping mission in Somalia with a view to improving the security situation in the country. However, Norway has limited opportunity to provide support for the military component of such a mission. We are therefore discussing with the AU the possibility of providing support for civilian components, for example support for police training programmes. Norway is already providing such support through UNDP. Norway’s total assistance to Somalia in 2007 amounted to nearly NOK 260 million, more than half of which was in the form of humanitarian assistance.