Hundreds of Norwegian protesters jeered Sharon, on his
first trip to western Europe in 13 months, with slogans such as
"Ariel -- go to Hell" after he met Prime Minister Kjell Magne
Bondevik on the banks of a fjord in the west Norwegian port of
Molde.
"The foundation is being laid for a new relationship with
them (Europeans)," Sharon said on the plane from Britain to
Norway, the two stops on a heavily-guarded visit to Europe. In
London, he accused the European Union (news - web sites) of having an "unbalanced"
pro-Palestinian view of the 33-month Palestinian uprising.
Sharon says he is committed to a "road map" to peace including
a Palestinian state by 2005.
Israeli officials said the visit to Norway, to Bondevik's
home town of Molde ringed by snow-capped mountains, was meant
to symbolize that Israel was turning the page on the Oslo
accords that Sharon opposed from the start.
Asked if he was deliberately avoiding the Norwegian capital
because of its associations with the peace process, Sharon
said: "You don't need a venue to underscore the status of the
accords or where they led us."
A former Norwegian Labor government hosted secret meetings
between Israelis and Palestinians in 1993 that led to the once
historic Oslo accords. Bondevik, a Lutheran priest, is a member
of the centrist Christian People's Party.
"I believe we can do much more together," Sharon said of
ties with Norway. "Norway is a friendly country. The Prime
Minister is friendly to Israel and I believe these two
countries can contribute to do together many things."
NORWAY OPPOSES FENCE
Earlier, Bondevik expressed concern about Israel's
construction of a fence to seal off the West Bank and
reiterated that Norway would not heed Israeli calls to cut off
contacts with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
"I will express concern for the wall, or fence, that is
being built," Bondevik told NRK public radio.
Palestinians view the fence as a way of grabbing land.
Sharon says it is meant to keep out suicide bombers.
Bondevik also said Norway, which chairs a group of donors
for Palestinian areas, would maintain contacts with Arafat even
though Sharon has denounced him as the main obstacle to peace.
He also said that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas
had agreed to visit Norway in late August.
Protesters in Norway said Sharon should be arrested. "He
should be tried as a war criminal and he must withdraw from the
Palestinian areas immediately," said Chris Alexander, a
protester who came from Oslo for the day.
