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DE RUEHNY #0071/01 0491245
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
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FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0033
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0001
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UNCLAS OSLO 000071 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER AF CU NO KCRM KIPR KJUS PREL PREF KTIP
SUBJECT: Ambassador's Introductory Meeting with Justice and Police 
Minister Storberget 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On February 12, the Ambassador met with GON 
Minister of Justice and 
 
the Police Knut Storberget. Storberget discussed his Ministry's key 
issues, Qcluding Norway's 
 
acceptance of Cuban migrants via the United Nations Commissioner 
for Refugees (UNHCR), 
 
domestic violence, immigration, trafficking, visas, and 
intellectual property. End Summary. 
 
 
 
Cuba 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Ambassador thanked Storberget for the GON's recent 
decision to accept, via the 
 
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), several Cuban refugees 
who had fled to 
 
Guantanamo. Due to the earthquake in Haiti, theQpace in Guantanamo 
was urgently needed to 
 
deal with the relief operation. Norway ultimately took three people 
even though Norway's 
 
general policy is not to accept migrants from first-world countries 
(Norway considered the 
 
migrants to have been on U.S. soil). Storberget stated that he 
knows many Cubans and still 
 
remains in contact with them. He said he has travelled to Cuba 
seven times before becoming 
 
Minister. He stated he thought the current situation in Cuba under 
President Raul Castro would 
 
change but his friends have reported the restrictive environment 
remains the same. Storberget 
 
stated that Norwegians were happy with the policy direction of the 
Obama Administration and 
 
hoped it would eventually create an open relationship between the 
U.S. and Cuban government. 
 
 
 
Immigration and Afghanistan 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Storberget stated that another major issue for his 
Ministry is reducing the number of 
 
asylum seekers in Norway. He said that, in 2009, Norway nearly hit 
a record with 17,000 
 
asylum seekers, and currently there are 20,000 people in refugee 
centers. Storberget thinks that 
 
the large number of asylum seekers puts stress on the Norwegian 
social services system. He also 
 
spoke specifically about the asylum seekers coming from 
Afghanistan. Storberget stated that 
 
seventy percent of asylum seekers from Afghanistan were below the 
age of eighteen, however, 
 
there are some that say they are under eighteen but are obviously 
older. Norway is looking at 
 
ways to determine ages among asylum seekers. Since most of these 
minors leave Norway when 
 
they reach adulthood, the Minister stated that he would prefer to 
spend the resources currently 
 
dedicated to these individuals in Afghanistan, rather than in 
Norway. 
 
 
Crime 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Police statistics and reports of crime in the press 
generally indicate a shift to more 
 
residential break-ins each year in Norway and that a growing 
concern is that the burglaries are 
 
being carried out by groups or gangs from Eastern Europe. When 
asked if he saw an increase in 
 
residential break-ins, the Minister responded that overall crime 
was going down in Norway. He 
 
stated that most of the thefts were by foreign people, particularly 
from Lithuania and Romania, 
 
and that these people travel around different parts of Norway to 
commit crimes. According to 
 
Storberget, 950 people are currently in custody for theft-related 
crimes, and sixty percent of them 
 
are from Bulgaria and Poland. He said the GON wanted to send them 
back to their home 
 
countries but it was difficult to do so under the Schengen system, 
and international cooperation 
 
was needed. 
 
 
 
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador expressed his appreciation for the GON's 
cooperation on matters 
 
concerning Trafficking in Persons (TIP). Storberget commented that 
it was the work of many 
 
ministries, not just the Ministry of Justice. He stated that there 
was a decrease in trafficking, 
 
although during the past summer there was a problem with 
prostitutes coming from Nigeria and 
 
Bulgaria. When asked how they were travelling to Norway, Storberget 
stated that they arrived 
 
on tourist visas. He also noted that many boys and girls who are 
asylum seekers were victims of 
 
trafficking but that the children were not comfortable speaking 
about their experiences. 
 
 
 
Visa Waiver Program 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Ambassador raised the issue of the outstanding Visa 
Waiver Program 
 
information-sharing agreement. Currently, the HSPD-6 
terrorist-information sharing 
 
arrangement was agreed to by PST on October 21, 2009, yet no final 
approval has yet been 
 
received from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). Storberget's aide 
claimed the reason for the delay 
 
was because of the change of the Director-General within the Police 
Security Services (PST). 
 
The new Director-General, Janne Kristiansen, is having second 
thoughts on the agreement and is 
 
 
reviewing it. [Note: In separate correspondence, Tonje Meinich, the 
Ministry's Deputy Director 
 
General for European and International Affairs, explained to ConOff 
that Kristiansen and others 
 
have data-protection concerns with respect to the agreement. When 
asked, she said the 
 
opposition was not coming from the EU, but was an internal 
Norwegian concern similar to 
 
opposition to a recent proposed change to the European Union data 
directive. ] 
 
 
 
Terrorism 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador suggested that Norwegian laws on terrorism 
were less restrictive 
 
than in the U.S., but Storberget disagreed. He stated that he 
thought Norwegian laws against 
 
terrorism were strong, but terrorism is difficult to investigate 
and to prove. Storberget 
 
commented that in order to prevent terrorism and avoid extremism it 
is more important to create 
 
a dialogue on the issues causing terrorism than to focus only on 
punishment and law and order. 
 
Commenting on President Obama's Cairo speech, he thought the speech 
was very important in 
 
preventing terrorism because of its outreach to Muslim people. He 
noted the MOJ plans to 
 
present Parliament with a strategy to prevent radicalism in the 
Muslim minority community. 
 
Storberget mentioned that he met with Muslim students every three 
months for a dialogue on 
 
preventing extremism. The Ambassador and Storberget discussed 
outreach to the Somali 
 
community. The Ambassador explained outreach programs that have 
helped the Somali 
 
community in Minnesota, particularly promoting Somali involvement 
in the police force. 
 
Storberget commented that it was a priority in Norway as well to 
have more Somali-Norwegians 
 
on the police force. 
 
 
 
Intellectual Property 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador raised online piracy (illegal file 
sharing), which is widespread and 
 
growing in Norway. Storberget commented that he thinks the 
Norwegian laws on illegal file 
 
sharing are tough but illegal file sharing is difficult to 
investigate although he was unaware of 
 
how many cases there actually are in Norway. He noted the Ministry 
of Culture is currently 
 
reviewing how to investigate illegal file sharing cases and how to 
prosecute them. 
 
 
Domestic Violence 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) Storberget was particularly interested in fighting 
domestic violence within Norway. 
 
He stated that 1300 children are reported to be directly affected 
by domestic violence each week 
 
and many cases are unreported. When asked if domestic violence was 
higher in particular 
 
communities, he said it was a Norwegian problem. There was no 
detailed breakdown among the 
 
various communities in Norway, particularly the immigrant 
community. Storberget's goal is to 
 
get more men involved in preventing domestic violence. He noted it 
was always women in 
 
parliament raising concerns about domestic violence, and he wanted 
to increase men's awareness 
 
on the issue. The Ambassador suggested that Norway could consider 
using public service 
 
announcements similar to those in the U.S. Storberget agreed it was 
a good idea. The 
 
Ambassador and Storberget discussed the importance of women getting 
legal help and involving 
 
the local communities so that they felt safe after their court 
cases. The Ambassador mentioned 
 
that his law firm did pro bono work that involved representing 
women affected by domestic 
 
violence when they could not represent themselves. Storberget noted 
that they had similar 
 
programs in Norway. Storberget planned on attending a meeting 
sponsored by United Nations 
 
Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on domestic violence. The meeting's 
purpose is to write an 
 
official letter raising the issues of domestic violence and seeking 
recommendations to prevent it. 
 
Storberget asked for U.S. help with the project. Also, Storberget 
planned on attending meetings 
 
in Afghanistan and Abidjan to discuss domestic violence within 
those countries. 
WHITE