Norway | Message to Israel

[Vaka]

Classified and Encrypted
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To: Shimon Peres, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Owen
Cc:
Subject: Request for a meeting at Foreign Ministry Building, Jerusalem
From: Tian Østhus, Norwegian Ambassador to Israel.

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Good morning Minister Shimon Peres. I hope this email finds you well. My name is Tian Østhus. I am the current Norwegian ambassador to Israel. I would like to express my sincere desire to improve the diplomatic relations between our two nations. In recent years, there has been a severe lack of communication and cooperation between our countries, and I believe that it is in the best interest of both nations to address this issue. I believe that through increased dialogue and collaboration, we can find common ground and work towards a mutually beneficial relationship. I would like to propose a meeting to discuss ways in which we can improve our diplomatic relations. I am confident that through this meeting, we will be able to discuss areas of cooperation such as trade and visa programs. All the while making concrete plans for a brighter future for our two nations. I can make myself available at your convenience. I eagerly await your positive response. Tian Østhus Norwegian Ambassador to Israel Kingdom of Norway

 

[Owen]

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MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: PROTECTED (Encrypted)​

5 August 2001​

Dear Ambassador Østhus, A meeting with yourself sounds perfectly fine to me. I will be awaiting your arrival in at the Foreign Ministry Building in Givat Ram. Yours sincerely, Shimon Peres.

Foreign Ministry Building, GIVAT RAM, JERUSALEM, ISRAEL 96265​

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Tian Østhus found himself with a unique issue upon moving to Jerusalem to become the Ambassador to Isreal. Everything here was simply too small for him. Tian stood at six feet and seven inches. He weighed nearly three-hundred twenty-five pounds. When he was growing up his friends often called him “Bear” due to his stature. But he was a soft-spoken man of age forty now and his size now really only hindered his progress most of the time. He had started to develop back problems a few years ago. He had been trying to keep it quiet not wanting to jeopardize his career in the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. He had been thrilled to be posted to such a prestigious posting in one of the oldest cities on earth. But the city being of ancient origin means many of the older buildings and narrow passageways were built for a different time. “They always said people were smaller back then, I’m slowly finding out how true that is.”

He arrived early with a plain grey suit that always had to be custom fitted. He carried a large leather satchel around his neck that rested on his right hip. He made his way through the extensive security checks which he had expected to be a bit of a slog but the officers were very friendly and the office was at least air-conditioned. He would never get used to the heat of Israel.

Once through security, he would wait to be seen by a senior official from the Israeli government. He tried to find a chair big enough to hold his frame, but he decided it was best just to stand.

Owen​

 

[Owen]

The personal assistant of Shimon Peres would come out to greet the Ambassador.

"Mr. Østhus, please come this way." She would escort him into the Minister's office. There the Minister would be waiting.

"Ahhh Mr. Østhus, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. We have a great admiration for Norway, particularly to the Norwegian resistance movement for its role in helping Jews flee Norway under Vidkun Quisling to Sweden during the Holocaust. And of course, the role of Norway in helping to facilitate our negotiations with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, accumulating in the Oslo Accords, which I played an important role in formulating. Speaking also from a political party perspective, I am grateful that there is the Friends of Israel in the Norwegian Labour Movement to facilitate the ties between our labour movements."

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