During Wednesday’s Question Time in the Storting, it was of course the conflict in Ukraine that occupied most of the time. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt had to answer a number of questions, including from Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes.
Moxnes believes Norway must take the lead in holding Putin legally responsible for the attack on Ukraine.
– The UN Charter’s ban on wars of aggression is crystal clear – what has been lacking is the will to enforce the ban. In 2018, an amendment to the Rome Statute was activated, which gives the International Criminal Court jurisdiction to convict heads of state of war in violation of international law, Moxnes said.
The Red leader pointed out that several Eastern European countries that fear Russian aggression have ratified the supplement. On Wednesday, Rødt proposed that Norway do the same, and have a similar provision incorporated into the Norwegian penal code.
If we do that, the possibility opens up that Norway can issue an international arrest warrant against Putin, to get him convicted of the invasion of Ukraine in violation of international law. Of course, the investigation and trial must be independent, but it is no secret that many, including Red, want to see Putin behind bars and strike for the attack on Ukraine, Moxnes said.
Sour Moxnes
Following his statement, Moxnes posed the following questions to the Secretary of State:
– Will the government now support the proposal for ratification and amendment of the law that the International Law Commission has recommended, so that Norway can issue an arrest warrant against Putin and at the same time strengthen Norway’s national and international legal protection against attacks by foreign powers?
– Red leader Bjørnar Moxnes during the Storting’s question time. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
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Huitfeldt pointed out that the proposal from Rødt had been submitted on the same day, and that a thorough answer would therefore be given after a review.
– It has probably never been the case that a proposal has been delivered in the morning and that a minister stands 10 minutes afterwards and says yes or no? And that’s not the case this time either. So we have to wait for a discussion about this, said Huitfeldt.
Moxnes replied sourly that in that case he had good news, namely that Rødt presented the same proposal in 2020.
– It was thoroughly considered in the Storting, and the Labor Party took a position on the proposal. The interesting thing is that Denmark at the time was very clear on why they did not want to ratify the agreement that was proposed – it was namely that they wanted to have the opportunity to go to war without a UN mandate. That is also why the great powers the United States and Russia oppose ratifying the agreement, said Moxnes, and continued:
– If the government were to say no to strengthening Norway’s legal protection against attack, and also help to block Norwegian contribution to having Putin investigated and convicted of war of aggression, is it because the Norwegian government wants to have the same room for maneuver as the Danish government?
– Basic disagreement
Huitfeldt believed that Moxnes asked many and comprehensive questions at once, and emphasized the difference between the Red Party and the Labor Party.
– Firstly, it has been important for Norway to have a basis in international law for the military operations we have participated in. In these issues, there has often been fundamental disagreement between the Labor Party and the Red Party, Huitfeldt said.
– Oslo 20220302. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt during the oral question time in the Storting on Wednesday. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten
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She cited the issue of the Kurds’ fight against ISIL as an example.
– Where Red supports the Kurds’ fight, but will not support Norwegian soldiers to participate in the fight. This is one of several points of inequality in security policy between the Red Party and the Labor Party.
Moxnes believed that the fundamental difference between the parties is that Red is against a war of aggression no matter who carries it out.
– Now the situation is that Russia grossly violates international law, and must be strongly condemned and face sanctions for this. But at the same time, we must do what we can to ensure that those responsible for wars of aggression can be investigated and convicted.
– Not the way the world is
The Red leader argued that the amendment to the Rome Statute had been ratified by a number of other countries.
– It has been a well-known proposal for many years, which has been discussed in the Storting for several rounds and should be well known by the Labor Party, I should think. It is sensational if the Minister of Foreign Affairs does not know the proposal and can give a kind of view on this proposal in the Storting today, Moxnes said.
Huitfeldt does not think Russia would have acted differently if Norway had supported the proposal.
– If we had supported the proposal that Rødt delivered today, we would not have been in this situation? That is not the way the world is, the foreign minister replied.
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Huitfeldt promised to consider all proposals carefully, but stressed that the problem in international law is not a lack of regulations.
– The problem is that they are not followed. The problem is that power is often not put behind the demands and that there is often a lack of will to follow up. There is no lack of international rules, there is a lack of compliance with them.
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