Norway invited into Macron’s new intervention force

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg, upon her arrival at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Friday, July 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

French president Emmanuel Macron has invited Norway to join the new military intervention force he has undertakento build.

 

“Everyone is welcome’’, Macron told NTB news when he met the press together with Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Friday night.

At the press conference, Solberg confirmed that France has invited Norway to join the new initiative.

‘’We are looking at it. We are positive,’’ said Solberg.

According to her, the case is still up for discussion. Norway has not taken a final position on the invitation, and is now looking forward to more details about what the cooperation will really be about, and what Norway’s role in it may be.

“But we have as a general approach that we try to participate wherever we can,” said Solberg.

Macron launched the idea in his speech about European politics  held at the Sorbonne last year. The idea had been to create a “European intervention initiative”.

The French have been particularly keen to bring countries that are able to move out at short notice. The strength should be included in humanitarian crises. It has also been clarified that the force will be formally held outside the EU.

So far, a total of eight countries have said yes to joining in addition to France. The eight are Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, The Netherlands,Portugal, Spain, the UK, and Germany.

Among France’s previous ‘interventions’ or lack thereof in the past quarter century, were the Rwandan genocide in which at least 800,000 people died, and the total destruction of Libya and overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, which made the newly failed state the main jumping off point for refugees crossing the Mediterranean

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today