Peacemaking Is a Risky Business - PRIO

PREFACEIN JANUARY 2001, it was agreed that I would carry out a study for the Norwegianministry of foreign affairs, examining Norway’s role in the peace process in theMiddle East in 1993–96. According to the agreement made with the ministry, thestudy was to focus on the nature of the role played by Norway in the peace negotiationsthat took place during those crucial years. However, it was neither to analyse norto evaluate Norway’s development aid to the Palestinian Self-Rule Areas, a theme beyondthe scope of the present study. The project was to begin on 15 March 2001 and,according to the terms of a later contract, to be completed by 30 June 2003. Thesegoals were met.The present report – the final report from the study – is based on recently declassifiedand still-classified documents (to which I was granted access) at the Norwegianministry of foreign affairs, the verbatim records of the Norwegian Parliamentary ForeignAffairs Committee, records of government proceedings, records of the Norwegianparliament, Labour Party archives and documents from the US State Departmentand the Socialist International – to mention the most important. In addition, Norwegiannewspapers from the period under study were examined, and a large number ofinterviews were conducted with leading actors in Norway, the USA and the MiddleEast. Additional relevant literature, particularly material on the peace process in theMiddle East, has also been reviewed. I would like to thank all of the interviewees fortheir forthcoming attitudes and for having generously given me so much of their valuabletime. I would additionally like to thank the planning and evaluation section of theNorwegian ministry of foreign affairs for seeing the importance of collecting togetherall of this information and for providing a generous economic basis for doing so.I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Martin Halvorsen, who proved aninvaluable research assistant during this project. Bringing with him both a valuableknowledge of history and a positive attitude, Martin worked hard and systematically toprovide me with necessary literature and documentation for carrying out my research.Throughout the entire process, he made useful comments and helped me to maintainan overview of what turned out at times to be a rather complex stream of information.I would also like to thank John Carville for his exceptional language-editing of the finishedwork. In addition, I would like to thank Professor Helge Pharo, Professor RolfTamnes and Associate Professor Nils Butenschøn, who all read through and commentedon the final manuscript. Drawing on their extensive and broad knowledge ofNorwegian postwar foreign policy – and, in the case of the latter, the Middle East –