(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
THORBJOERN JAGLAND thought maybe he should get peace of demand and criticism as he transitioned from the role of prime minister to the role of foreign minister. The year 2001 does not promise very well in this way. Norway's membership in the UN Security Council must be blamed for the increased focus on Norway's role as a major political player in the world.
These days, a number of independent human rights organizations in Norway have sent a wish list to Jagland with issues and things they think he should work for around the world, not least during meetings of the Human Rights Commission.
The NGOs have also been so kind as to make a list of priorities for the Foreign Minister, where issues such as the death penalty, migrant work, professional rights and torture come high. Highest on the list will be wishes in connection with the World Conference on Racism, which will be held in South Africa this fall.
The NGOs ask the Norwegian authorities in the UN to "emphasize the importance of the World Conference on Racism, given the growing tension between different peoples groups and continued widespread and systematic discrimination".
Thorbjørn Jagland will probably be able to meet the very general requirements of organizational life in Norway, as long as he keeps his tongue straight in his mouth. "Emphasizing the meaning of…" is well suited for party speeches.
When it comes to the demands the NGOs make towards Iraq, there is probably something Thorbjørn Jagland can support. The focus on Saddam Hussein as dictator and blame for the suffering of Iraqis is good tone in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a sign of fruitful rethinking, it might have been an idea to divide some of the blame between Iraq and the UN's own sanctions regime. Banning Iraq from importing baby food and shoelaces for ten years is an assault on Iraq's civilian population as well as another.
Fortunately, the NGOs sometimes move past the flood stage and into the terrain Jagland can feel some discomfort. For example, when it comes to migrant work. Norway is not part of the Convention for migrant workers and their families, which is now approaching 20 ratifications. Therefore, the convention is in danger of becoming a weak instrument, the organizations write in the letter to Jagland. The Human Rights Commission should come on track, for Norway "chose not to co-propose several relevant resolutions in last year's Commission, citing that Norway is not a party to the Convention".
This is a position the NGOs criticize, for obvious reasons; Countries that receive migrant workers must also be committed to their rights. Something else is hypocrisy.
The Minister of Immortality Thorbjørn Jagland needs such concrete requirements in a short version from Norway's organizational life should he get some improvement out there.
After all, he has a lot to do.
