Jul 30, 1987
UNCTAD-VII: "LIKE-MINDED" HAVE NO EFFECTIVE JOINT POLICY NOW.
GENEVA, JULY 28 (IFDA) – The group of "like-minded" countries, since their "invention" in 1974, have expanded so much that "I feel a constant reduction in the importance and efficiency of the ‘like-minded’ group", the Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorvold Stoltenberg told a press conference here. The Norwegian Minister was replying to a newsman who noted that in the past the like-minded countries had played a vital role, while at UNCTAD-VII it appeared countries like Canada in the group were toeing the U.S. hard line, Denmark was tied to the EEC, and even within the Scandinavian group, "Norway was taking a forward line while the others (Sweden and Finland) were lagging behind". Stoltenberg that the group had been formed in 1974-76, consisting of the Nordics and Netherlands, and had worked. Then a number of others wanted to join, and from five it became 15 or 16, and faced all the problems of such expansion – having a consistent and effective joint policy. Stoltenberg added: "this is why we are trying to form new alliances, north-south alliances, groups of countries from the industrialised and third world countries. It was in this background that we invited a group of countries for a meeting in Oslo in May, to see to what extent like-minded group can come together. I hope it will work". Earlier, referring to the statement in the plenary by Cuba on behalf of the G77, charging the industrialised countries with not reciprocating the constructive attitude of the G77, Stoltenberg said this was not only a problem at UNCTAD-VII, but in the whole of the north-south dialogue. "We in the industrialised world are not able or willing to see how our own interests lie in achieving results. I am not moralising, and we have problems in our countries, problems of politics and choice between short-term and long-term interests". "However I am afraid that this is more dramatically expressed in the north-south relationship, and in the north we are already seeing the negative results". "That is why we feel it is important to strengthen multilateralism and multilateral institutions like UNCTAD and UN. But we have not so far seen any results here". In the 70’s, Stoltenberg noted, when there were global talks and negotiations, there was first "the NIEO", and then the compromise of "a NIEO", and the result was no new economic order. But whether or not a new order was achieved, a new economy was there. When they had consultations previously on structural adjustment, etc., even in Norway the shipyards were worried about the NIEO and its taking business and jobs away. "We tried to explain it will be better to do it in an orderly way rather than leave things to happen". Now the changes were taking place anyway everyday, and the structural changes in the economy have brought about the changes any way, and shipyards and jobs have gone. "But we then thought it should be based on agreements, not because we wanted to favour the developing countries and their development, but so that we can both work together and solve these problems in the developing and industrialised countries". The Norwegian Minister said that in the 1970’s, when they tried hard and reached compromises, they came home and felt it was a successful conference and there had been breakthroughs in negotiations. "It was a breakthrough. I see now it was a breakthrough for those who negotiated, not for those who would benefit form the negotiations". "In the 80’s there has been a deadlock. I hope it will now start to move again. But now we will all be more critical of the content of the compromise we make. Now and then a conflict may be more honest and true than a compromise text. This is a very difficult decision to make".