Norway /USA agree to disagree...

[Savage]

Agree to disagree Source

Norway's foreign minister felt he had a good, open and positive meeting, despite disagreements with the US Secretary of State on Thursday.



Jonas Gahr Støre and Condoleezza Rice had a positive meeting about thorny issues. PHOTO: JOHN HULTGREN

The USA reiterated its dislike of Norwegian contact with Hamas, while Norway again made clear its criticism of the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo.

Despite these familiar conflicts, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre felt his meeting with counterpart Condoleezza Rice had been good, and covered many bases. Støre said he made it clear that Norway's stance towards Hamas, of dialogue and meetings only at lower levels, would continue.

"The USA is critical of Hamas representatives being received by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. And I have explained that I hear this, but that there is a long Norwegian tradition of political movements meeting the relevant experts at the department in order to hear Norwegian views," Støre told Aftenposten after his meeting with Rice.

"We have differing views, but this creates no problem between Norway and the USA," Støre added. He also took up the thorny issue of treatment of prisoners with the Secretary of State.

"I have emphasized that Guantanamo is a problem, but that it is not a problem that can be solved by Guantanamo being shut down or the prisoners being set free. It is prisoner treatment in general that is the issue, and we discussed that, and I think we both learned something," Støre said.


TH comments; Personally I think the Guantanamo torture base is a good idea. One breakes down muslim fanatics and their "white" collabotors. On the other hand, USA discredits itself for the whole world....Double action...So whats the problem?