[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 41 (Monday, October 18, 1999)]
[Pages 2060-2062]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Joint United States-Norway Statement

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.

[[Page 2061]]

    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 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

[[Page 2062]]

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.

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