Norway minister retracts boycott call
Finance minister Halvorsen apologizes after calling for boycott on Israeli goods
Halvorsen, who is also the leader of the Socialist Left Party, was quoted as telling the major Oslo tabloid Dagbladet that she had stopped buying Israeli products long ago, and that she supports her party's boycott campaign.
"My and the Socialist Left's goal is for Norwegian consumers to decide to drop products and services from Israel, and make other choices in the shops," she was quoted as saying. The interview was given before Sharon suffered a stroke on Wednesday.
'Boycott would be unthinkable'
Israel rushed to ask for clarifications over the remarks, with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom contacting his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Stoere, of Labor.
Stoere immediately responded that a government-backed boycott of Israel "would be unthinkable."
"It is not in the government platform," he said. "It is not Labor's policy. It is not the Center Party's policy. It will not become the government's policy."
Halvorsen’s party pushed for a boycott of Israeli goods in parliament three years ago but the bill was turned down.
Halvorsen subsequently apologized for the call in an interview with Norwegian media Saturday, and acknowledged that the timing of her comments was inappropriate as Israel is coping with a political vacuum after the stroke suffered by Ariel Sharon.
Diplomats in Jerusalem were satisfied with Halvorsen’s apology and the fast reply by the Norwegian Foreign Minister. Norway realizes that sanctions against Israel are likely to hinder its credibility as a neutral mediator in the peace process with the Palestinians, they said, adding that the incident could mark the end of calls for a boycott of Israel.
