Norwegian ambassador to speak

Knut Vollebæck, the Norwegian ambassador to the United States, will visit campus Tuesday, April 9, to talk about “Trans-Atlantic Relations: A Norwegian Perspective.”

The free public event is scheduled at 10 a.m., 206 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive.

Vollebæck has been described as a dynamic diplomat who is passionate about world causes. “It is easy to be bigger than one’s size if you are small,” he is quoted as saying in reference to his country’s role on the world stage. Norway historically has taken an active role in the United Nations, acting as mediator and contributing to several of the world organization’s peacekeeping missions around the globe.

Before being appointed ambassador, Vollebæck was Norway’s foreign minister. In 1999, as chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, he played a key negotiating role during the war in the Balkans, working with NATO leaders trying to halt Serbian depredations against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. As chairman, Vollebæk also monitored the conflict in Chechnya between Russian troops and Chechen insurgents, and tried to broker talks between Tamil rebels and the government of Sri Lanka in that country’s nearly 20-year separatist war. He also engaged in shuttle diplomacy, attempting to reopen peace talks between Israel and Palestinians. Vollebæk has been stationed in New Delhi; Madrid; Harare, Zimbabwe; and Costa Rica.

The European Studies Alliance, a consortium of four programs within the International Institute, is sponsoring the ambassador’s visit. The programs include the Center for European Studies, the European Union Center, the Center for German and European Studies and the Center for French Interdisciplinary Studies.

For more information, contact Ronnie Hess, (608) 262-5590, rlhess@facstaff.wisc.edu; or Donna Veatch, (608) 262-2042, dlveatch@facstaff.wisc.edu