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Jonas Gahr Store,

Foreign Minister of Norway

T
Brundland while she was still order reign, where other nations
the Director-General of the cannot act without following
World Health Organization in international law. This is an
Geneva. Two years ago he was important consideration for a
elected to become the small country like Norway.
Secretary-General of the
Norwegian Red Cross, where So being here in the UN, only
everybody agrees on one two weeks after having taken up
thing—that he has done an out- my current position, is both natu-
standing job. ral and a good opportunity.
We met him in the United Q: Being a former WHO staff
Nations Headquarters in New member, are you planning to
York where he had just deliv- come to Geneva soon? Do you
ered a speech to the United still follow what is happening in
Nations General Assembly. He the World Health Organization?
had also met with United
Nations Secretary-General, Mr I think I will. I have followed the
Kofi Annan. Mr Store granted evolution of the World Health
us a short but exclusive inter- Organization closely ever since I
view before he left for left my position there. Earlier
Washington to meet the today I met former colleagues
Secretary of State, Ms from WHO, so I think this is a
Condoleezza Rice, and other commitment that will stay with
American officials. me for the rest of my life.
Q: First of all, let us congratu- Health topics are growing in
late you upon your appointment importance on the international
as Foreign Minister. agenda, even here in the UN. In
Thank you. I have worked in my discussions earlier today with
this field in my previous posi- Mr Kofi Aiman, we talked about
Jonas Gahr Store, tions. It is both exciting and the importance of health issues,
Foreign Minister of meaningful. not only health as such but also
its importance in international
Norway,
Q: I read in the Dagbladet security, development and so
United Nations, 31 October 2005 newspaper today that 62 per- forth. These are some of the
cent of the Norwegian popula- questions Ms Brundtland worked
tion has huge faith in you as on when I was at WHO, and
Three weeks earlier, Jens Foreign Minister. What do you today more and more people are
Stoltenberg had set up his coali- think about that? working on these topics. This is
tion government in Norway. To something I find most encourag-
many, it came as a surprise when First of all is it very agreeable ing.
Jonas Gahr Store was appointed and also a great responsibility
as Foreign Minister. This man in Q: What else did you discuss
his early 40s has never been a Q: What are the top priorities of with Kofi Annan?
professional politician, but has Norwegian foreign policy? Is it
rather excelled in the Ministry of multilateral relations? Kofi Annan knows Norway well
Foreign Affairs in Oslo where he and we know him too. We dis-
was the former head of the inter- For Norway, in order to pre- cussed many things such as inter-
national department of the Prime serve our national interests, we national peace processes, the sit-
Minister's office. And he had need to use all the multilateral uation in Iraq, the reforms of the
worked closely with Ms. Gro channels and the different United Nations, not least about
Harlem Brundtland for almost a alliances available, as well as disarmament, and he was also
decade. keeping our friends. It is there- present at the lunch on disarma-
fore important for us to be pres- ment I hosted earlier today.
When in 1998 Ms Brundtland ent where we can establish con-
was elected Director-General of tacts, to have our voice heard Thank you very much for
World Health Organization and to listen to other Countries' answering these questions and
(WHO), he became one of her priorities. This is the "recipe" the only thing I can say is "Good
most trusted and closest collabo- for making others listen to us Luck in your endeavours".
rators. He was the head of the and to our point of view.
office of the Director-General, Therefore, supporting the "Thank you very much" Mr Store
before he became chief of United Nations is an obvious said—and away he went in the
Cabinet under the first Jens step. For us, it is an evident cars of the Norwegian
Stoltenberg Government in point in itself to support the Delegation that were waiting to
2000-2001. Later he returned as United Nations as a place take him off to Washington
Special Advisor to Gro Harlem where international law and