Monday, June 15, 2009
Is Erik Solheim Naive?
Erik Solheim, a Norwegian Government minister, is currently featured on the BBC program HARDtalk. Since BBC normally has a very obvious leftist slant, one would expect Erik Solheim to have a relatively easy time. On the other hand, it is always more difficult to answer questions in English when it is not your native language. In either event, I am looking forward to seeing the interview on BBC.
According to the Norwegian leftist newspaper Dagbladet, BBC decided to interview Mr. Solheim after reading a translated version of an opinion piece that he wrote Dagbladet on Mars 27 this year. In the article, Solheim stated that: "I am proud that one of the hallmarks of Norway today is that we are nearly always willing to talk to everyone. This has given us a special role in a number of conflicts. Because we could talk to Hamas and were thus among the first to establish contact with the Palestinian National Unity Government, we have had unique access to the negotiations in the Middle East conflict. In Sri Lanka we were among the few who had contact with both the Tamil Tigers and the authorities. We met with the Nepalese Maoists before anyone else. Now the Maoists are represented in the national assembly and the Prime Minister is from their party. We talk to communist guerrillas in the Philippines, and have contact with rebel groups in Burundi and Sudan. When the parties in strife-torn Zimbabwe decide to establish a Government of National Unity we start a dialogue with all of them. The fact that we talk to someone doesn't mean that we agree with them on all issues. We take the opportunity to present our views".
In the BBC interview, Erik Solheim was asked whether his willingness to talk with all kinds of dictators and terrorists makes him a little naive, to which Erik Solheim responded that boycotts generally just make conditions worse.
To this statement, I would like to ask Mr. Solheim why he has singled out Israel as the only country in the world that he wishes to boycott. For some odd reason, Erik Solheim's political party (The Socialist Left Party) is willing to talk and trade with all terrorists and tyrants, but does not wish to have anything to do with the Jewish state of Israel.
Regarding his unsuccessful attempts to secure a peace deal in Sri Lanka, it would also be interesting to ask whether his efforts indirectly lead to the destruction of the Tamil Tigers. Finally, I would like to ask what efforts he is making to maintain a dialogue with the independence movements in occupied Kurdistan and Tibet.
According to the Norwegian leftist newspaper Dagbladet, BBC decided to interview Mr. Solheim after reading a translated version of an opinion piece that he wrote Dagbladet on Mars 27 this year. In the article, Solheim stated that: "I am proud that one of the hallmarks of Norway today is that we are nearly always willing to talk to everyone. This has given us a special role in a number of conflicts. Because we could talk to Hamas and were thus among the first to establish contact with the Palestinian National Unity Government, we have had unique access to the negotiations in the Middle East conflict. In Sri Lanka we were among the few who had contact with both the Tamil Tigers and the authorities. We met with the Nepalese Maoists before anyone else. Now the Maoists are represented in the national assembly and the Prime Minister is from their party. We talk to communist guerrillas in the Philippines, and have contact with rebel groups in Burundi and Sudan. When the parties in strife-torn Zimbabwe decide to establish a Government of National Unity we start a dialogue with all of them. The fact that we talk to someone doesn't mean that we agree with them on all issues. We take the opportunity to present our views".
In the BBC interview, Erik Solheim was asked whether his willingness to talk with all kinds of dictators and terrorists makes him a little naive, to which Erik Solheim responded that boycotts generally just make conditions worse.
To this statement, I would like to ask Mr. Solheim why he has singled out Israel as the only country in the world that he wishes to boycott. For some odd reason, Erik Solheim's political party (The Socialist Left Party) is willing to talk and trade with all terrorists and tyrants, but does not wish to have anything to do with the Jewish state of Israel.
Regarding his unsuccessful attempts to secure a peace deal in Sri Lanka, it would also be interesting to ask whether his efforts indirectly lead to the destruction of the Tamil Tigers. Finally, I would like to ask what efforts he is making to maintain a dialogue with the independence movements in occupied Kurdistan and Tibet.
Labels: erik solheim, foreign policy, norway, the socialist left party
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