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USA: Norway should increase defense budgetThe US ambassador, Benson K. Whitney, asked Norway to increase the defense budget in a speech to Oslo Militære Samfund (Oslo Military Society) tonight. He also expressed discontent with the desicion not to send more troops to Afghanistan.
- Norway is number 14 on the list of NATO-countries regarding defense spending in relation to income. I ask that Norway, as the richest of the NATO countries, sets a good example and raises defense spending to the NATO demand of 2% of national budget, said Whitney.
He stressed that Norway is far from being the only country to spend less than 2% on defense, and that this is a problem.
- I'm not gonna tell Norway how to spend their money, but if Norway - and other countries - could increase their spending to 2%, we'd get a more effecctive NATO, said Whitney.
The US ambassador used the Monday speech in OMS to highlight the important part played by both Norway and the US inside NATO.
He was dissatisfied with the Norwegian desicion not to send special troops to southern Afghanistan, which NATO had asked for.
- Norway's desicion to pull out of Iraq and not to send special forces to Afghanistan is an exception from the leading role Norway traditionally has had in NATO. I hope Norway will participate with such troops in the future, said the ambassador.
In his speech he also expressed concern for the lack of support for NATO in Norway, and referred to a fresh poll that showed the number of Norwegians supporting NATO down with 5 %.
- I hear some people say that Norway primarily should look to the EU or the UN regarding security policy. I can only hope the government, political leaders and leading intellectuals takes upon themselves to explain to the population why a NATO cooperation is necessary for Norway, also after the Cold War is over, said Whitney to a rapt audience.
The ambassador made a special point that the requests to spend more on defense and send special forces to Afghanistan was not to be seen as criticism of the Norwegian effort.
- Norway do a great effort in Afghanistan. But the question is not wether one participates with one's share, but how much one has the possibility to contribute. To meet the future's challenges it's not enough to do just enough - we need to do everything we can, said the ambassador.
(NTB)
See also
this debate, from May 2006.
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I think we should increase spending on Afghanistan, but not in the military sector - as long as there's no change in policy. But to rebuild that country money is needed, and Norway has too much of it.