[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
[October 15, 1999]
[Pages 1802-1804]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Joint Statement on Norway-United States Cooperation
October 15, 1999

    The President and the Prime Minister met today at the White House to review the many 
accomplishments of the enduring U.S.-Norwegian partnership and to 
explore new areas of cooperation.
    Transatlantic solidarity and mutual security in NATO form the core 
of the U.S.-Norwegian relationship. President Clinton reaffirmed the 
strong U.S. commitment to the security and defense of Norway. The two 
leaders reiterated their commitments to the Washington Summit's vision 
of an Alliance devoted to collective defense, capable of addressing 
current and future challenges, strengthened by and open to new

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members, and working with others in a mutually reinforcing way to 
enhance Euro-Atlantic security and stability. They also reaffirmed their 
commitment to strengthen European security and defense capabilities for 
crisis management.
    The Prime Minister and the 
President expressed satisfaction that the concerted action of the NATO 
Alliance achieved an end to Milosevic's campaign of ethnic cleansing in 
Kosovo and created the conditions for the safe return of refugees. They 
reaffirmed their strong commitment to democracy and the rule of law in 
Kosovo, and their support for the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe 
as a means of achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.
    The President congratulated the Prime Minister on Norway's essential contributions as Chairman-in-
Office of the OSCE. The two leaders underscored the importance of arms 
control, in particular the 30-nation Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces 
in Europe (CFE). The United States and Norway agreed to intensify their 
efforts, together with other Treaty partners, to reach agreement on 
adaptation of the CFE Treaty for signature by Heads of State and 
Government at the November 18-19 OSCE Summit in Istanbul.
    The United States and Norway share a vital interest in the 
development of a democratic, prosperous, and stable Russia. Russia has 
an opportunity to further entrench its transition to democracy by 
ensuring free and fair elections in the coming months for its parliament 
and president. The President and the Prime Minister recognized Russia's struggle against terrorism and 
reaffirmed their support for Russia's territorial integrity. They urged 
a constructive dialogue between the Russian government and legitimate 
leaders in the North Caucasus that could lead to peaceful resolution of 
conflict, and called on all concerned to avoid indiscriminate use of 
force and to respect human rights. The Prime Minister and the President 
agreed that increased international efforts are called for to deal with 
the problem of nuclear waste in Russia, including that from 
decommissioned nuclear submarines. The two leaders called on Russia to 
accept the 1993 amendment to the London Convention that establishes a 
mandatory moratorium on all dumping of radioactive waste at sea. They 
welcomed increased international cooperation through the Arctic Council 
and the Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation Program. Working 
closely with local governments and communities, they pledged to promote 
sustainable development and protection of the fragile Arctic 
environment.
    The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the work of the Barents 
and Baltic Sea States Councils and the extensive U.S.-Norway cooperation 
under the U.S. Northern European Initiative. They underlined the 
importance of fully integrating the Baltic countries into the European 
and trans-Atlantic community, and agreed to continue support for 
language training programs in Latvia and Estonia to foster social 
integration.
    The Prime Minister and the 
President share concern over the growing dangers to international 
security posed by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in 
areas of conflict and post-conflict. They announced the establishment of 
a Norway-U.S. working group to marshal support for nations which agree 
to destroy surplus small arms.
    The two leaders noted the extensive U.S.-Norwegian commercial 
relationship and affirmed that the United States and Norway attach great 
importance to the upcoming WTO round in Seattle. They recognized 
Norway's role as a major international supplier of oil and gas to the 
world, and agreed U.S. industry will remain a key partner in petroleum 
production on the Norwegian continental shelf.
    The President expressed his appreciation for Norway's strong support 
of the Middle East peace process through the Oslo process, and saluted 
Norway's leadership role in the Palestinian donor effort. The two 
leaders agreed to intensify their efforts to achieve a lasting 
settlement in the Middle East and other conflict areas. They stressed 
the need to strengthen the United Nations' capabilities in responding to 
the challenges of a new Millennium. They agreed that the protection of 
human rights and dignity, eradication of poverty, and the safeguarding 
of the global environment were crucial to continued progress. The two 
leaders agreed to work together to reduce the debt of heavily-indebted 
poor countries and increase the support among creditors to maximize the 
benefits of the debt reduction initiative.
    Finally, the two leaders agreed to continue the excellent 
cooperation between the two countries through ongoing dialogue on the 
full range of bilateral, regional and global issues that join the United 
States and Norway.

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Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint statement.