Israel Resource Review |
16th May, 2002 |
Contents:
The Continuing Peres Center
Scandal in Norway:
A Look at Norwegian Media Coverage
5/15/02: "However, Dagbladet has learned that
[Norway's] Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik is backing Mr
Petersen's efforts to 'clear up' the [Roed-Larsen/Juul]
situation. This could mean public hearings involving the
questioning of former Foreign Ministers."
odin.dep.no/odin/engelsk/nytt/nyheter/032091-991471/index-dok000-b-n-a.html.
Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo - Press Division -
Norway Daily 5/15/02
Tight-lipped Mona Juul back in Tel Aviv (Aftenposten)
After two days of meetings with her Foreign
Ministry superiors, a tired Mona Juul returned to Israel
yesterday evening. She has been telling senior officials at the
Foreign Ministry about the prize money she received from the
Peres Foundation in Israel in 1999. Concluding the meetings both
sides signed a protocol of dispute in accordance with section 18
of the Civil Service Act. Section 18 covers the procedures to be
used if a civil servant is to be reprimanded, given the sack or
dismissed without notice. It is now up to Foreign Minister
January Petersen to make up his mind. Ambassador Mona Juul
yesterday declined to comment on the substance of her meetings.
"I explained my point of view, which I have previously done in
writing, and that is all I can say on the matter," said Ms Juul
to NRK before returning to Israel.
Stoltenberg defends Juul appointment (Dagsavisen)
Labour deputy leader Jens Stoltenberg has said he sees nothing
wrong in Mona Juul being appointed Ambassador to Israel during
his term as Prime Minister, despite the fact that she was a
State Secretary in the government which appointed her. Ms Juul's
appointment has recently been attacked both because a number of
Foreign Ministry officials claim she received the attractive
ambassadorship 'out of turn', and because she was part of the
same political leadership which appointed her. In addition, the
post was not advertised internally. Yesterday the Storting's
Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs Committee sent a number of
questions to the Foreign Ministry regarding the appointment. The
Committee wants to know if the appointment followed normal
procedures.
Petersen: Juul's job as safe as anyone's (Dagsavisen)
"Ambassador Mona Juul is in exactly the same position as any
other ambassador when it comes to job security," said Foreign
Minister January Petersen to Dagsavisen. Mr Petersen is thought
to have been incensed by an article in yesterday's Aftenposten
claiming he was about to ask Ms Juul to seek another post within
the Foreign Ministry. The leaks will be dealt with internally
within the Ministry, whose political leadership now intends to
insist that employees toe the line.
Full investigation into peace process spending (Dagbladet)
The Storting's Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs Committee has
called for a full investigation into the way Norwegian cash was
spent in connection with the Middle East peace process. This
gives Foreign Minister January Petersen a welcome opportunity to
dismantle what he has called the Labour network in Norwegian
foreign policy. Former Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland
reacted strongly to Mr Petersen's comments about the Labour
network during the Conservative Party's annual conference,
though his public statement on the issue was subdued. However,
Dagbladet has learned that Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik
is backing Mr Petersen's efforts to 'clear up' the situation.
This could mean public hearings involving the questioning of
former Foreign Ministers.
Worth Noting
Progress Party chairman Carl I. Hagen has launched a fierce
attack on Foreign Minister January Petersen for his handling of
the 'peace prize affair'. "In my opinion Mr Petersen has handled
this matter badly and will find his reputation tarnished as a
result." (Dagavisen) Ambassador Mona Juul does not need to pay
the prize money back to the Peres Centre or hand it over to the
Foreign Ministry, regardless of the final outcome of the affair.
The Foreign Ministry's legal advisers have reached this
conclusion after considering whether Mona Juul should be
required to repay the NOK 450,000 she received from the Peres
Centre in 1999. (Verdens Gang)
http://odin.dep.no/odin/engelsk/nytt/nyheter/032091-210236/index-dok000-b-n-a.html.
Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo - Press Division -
Norway Daily 5/10/02
Declined a seat on the Peres board (Dabladet)
Former State Secretary at the Foreign Ministry January Egeland
declined the offer of a seat on the international board of the
Peres Peace Centre in Israel. Mr Egeland felt it was not proper
to involve himself in an institution which was, at the same
time, receiving large grants of money from Norway. Thorbjørn
Jagland and Terje Rød-Larsen on the other hand both accepted
Shimon Peres's invitation.
http://odin.dep.no/odin/engelsk/nytt/nyheter/032091-210237/index-dok000-b-n-a.html
Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo - Press Division - Norway Daily -
5/13/02
Norway donated millions to Peres Centre after peace prize award
(Dagsavisen/Saturday)
A fortnight after Mona Juul and her husband Terje Rød-Larsen had
received their peace prizes, the Peres Centre was promised
almost NOK 4 million by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. The
donation, NOK 3,750,000, is by far the largest single amount
which the Norwegian authorities have ever granted to the Peres
Centre. The money was promised despite an internal Foreign
Ministry memo which warned about the uncritical nature of the
grants made to the Centre, and despite the fact that the Foreign
Ministry had not received an auditor's report or any other
satisfactory reports about what the Norwegian money was being
spent on.
Lønning believes Mona Juul will get the sack (Dagbladet/Saturday)
Mona Juul's tenure as Norway's Ambassador to Israel could soon
be over, according to Inge Lønning, the Conservative Party's
foreign policy spokesman. Mr Lønning has also confirmed that he
has discussed Ms Juul's role with Foreign Minister January
Petersen. "As I see it, in the long term we would not be best
served to have an ambassador who is so controversial," said Mr
Lønning.
Mona Juul summoned home to explain herself (Verdens Gang/Sunday)
The Foreign Ministry has decided it wants Norway's Ambassador to
Israel, Mona Juul, to return to Oslo to answer a growing list of
questions regarding the peace prize worth NOK 450,000 which she
received from the Peres Centre. "The need to have a serious chat
with her has grown over the past few days," confirmed a Foreign
Ministry source. Behind the move is, among other things, VG's
revelations that Mona Juul was central in handling a series of
requests for money from the Peres Centre in 1997 and 1998,
before she and her husband Terje Rød-Larsen received a prize
from the Centre in January 1999.
odin.dep.no/odin/engelsk/nytt/nyheter/032091-991468/index-dok000-b-n-a.html.
Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo - Press Division - Norway Daily 5/8/02
The Progress Party wants a full account of travel, car, office,
entertainment and other expenses covered by Norwegian
contributions to the Peres Centre for Peace. In a draft letter
reeking of distrust of Terje Rød-Larsen and his wife, Mona Juul,
Carl I. Hagen is asking the Storting's Standing Committee on
Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs to take up the matter with
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Aftenposten)
Printer
friendly version of this article
Return to Contents
Go to
the Israel Resource
Review homepage
The Israel Resource Review is brought to you by
the Israel Resource, a media firm based at the Bet Agron Press Center in
Jerusalem, and the Gaza Media Center under the juristdiction of the Palestine
Authority.
You can contact us on media@actcom.co.il.
|