Norwegians ask Obama to stop the building of new embassy

[mogster]

Source: Aftenposten

Asks Obama to stop the U.S. embassy

Fight against the embassy plans in the Huseby woods in Oslo is not necessarily over, even after the embassy opponents lost in the Supreme Court in May.

In a last desperate attempt to change the plans for Husebyskogen, the neighbourhood now turns to the U.S. President Barack Obama to stop the construction, Nrk reports.

In a letter to the president, the leader of the action group Protect Husebyskogen, Margrethe Geelmuyden, said the embassy project was started by the Bush administration, and that it is a project based on fear.

Geelmuyden writes that she writes to Obama because the Norwegian politicians are listening to him, but not to voters' hearts.

"As other projects the Bush administration started, this destroys the environment, it is based on fear, and it is beyond the good values of liberty and equality that the Americans and Norwegians share," she writes in the letter.

Read more: http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article3124317.ece

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Original link is Norwegian. Translated link (Google)

(The US embassy in Oslo is today situated near the city centre, and has been surrounded by fortifications since 2001, blocking traffic accomodation. This has been a much debated topic in Norway, and Bush dealt with it using his usual charm and diplomatic talent. Most of the ire is directed at Norwegian politicians, though.)

[marmar]

1. Norway is a very civilized society, in so many ways.....

..... except those damn whaling ships.

[Diclotican]

3. marmar

marmar

Relax, sooner or later, the whaling comunity would end its hunt, and the whaling ship a thing of the past..

And to Norway as a civilized society.. We are doing our best for that - and as we are not into so many wars, we tend to get clear of doing to mutch of damage;):. In our corner of the world, peace have truly broken out, even our eastern nabour Russia are at peace with us - for the most part... And with Denmark, Sweden, Icland and Finland, we have been at peace with, the last 200 year or so...

Diclotican

[Indenturedebtor]

4. Yes when the whales are gone :( n/t

[Diclotican]

2. mogster

mogster

The US embassy would be build, somewhere.. Maybe even at Husebyskogen.. Even that I doubt it will be for many year.. And the case with he US embassy, and more to the point, where the US embassy should be relocated is something that most Norwegians tend to objections to.. Because it would mean a lot of new security, and Oslo is an rather small City compared to many other City's in Europe, so it is not that many places where an Embassy can be build, without getting into trouble with the neighborhood.. Some have says that the new US Embassy should be relocated to "nordmarka", to a place where they could be secure for most attack because of the remoteness from the City center... And most of the work, a Embassy can do, as visas and so on, can be made by an office in the Center of the City...

But as it is, Huseby is the current place, where a far bigger US Embassy would be relocated if it ever was to be build that is. I would say that prospects who is showing the embassy is rather illogical because of the size of the complex. I doubt other country demand that size of land, to build a new ambassy... But then, not many country decided to build their embassy right in the middle of City Center as the US did when they was building their new embassy in the 1960s.. It is a big, not exactly pretty building right in the center of the City... Drammensveien, and Karl Johan, our Parade Gate, The Parliament (Stortinget) and the Royal Palace is situated right there as their closest nabour... http://norway.usembassy.gov/

And as some pointed out, your former President GWB was not excactly doing a new home for your Ambassy more easy, with his hewy handling of most contact with the outside world, outside Washington DC..

And yes, it is true, that most of the ire is not directed to americans, but our own political leaders who more or less have desided to say yes to everything the americans wanted.. Everyone understand that americans need a more secure place, becouse the security messarues who are outside the US ambassy is not positive for americans, and they who have to use the roads and the City at an daily basis.

And for the point of everyting We dont "Hate" americans, even that most norwigians do not want Huseby as the next place to build he new Ambassy.. Not at the size american requiested, and was given by the norwigian politicans.. My guess is that it wil take many year before a new US ambassy is opening - at Huseby, or other places... Maybe on a old Army base?.. outside Oslo it is a couple of old army bases who are just standing there.. A new Ambassy could be made aviable there, and the security be just beefet up a coupt of notches..

Hopefully it wil never be an attack on the US ambassy in Norway.. Our security agency is small compared to most country I can think about, but they are good of what they are doing, and have a good aye on the extremist we might have in our country anyway... And they still have a lot of power to hold peopole under survivalence, so my guess is that most groups are not willing to take that risk, to maybe find themself in prison for a long time... We have our terrorist law here too. Even that it might not be that harsh as the US have... We are a smal country in the northen part of Europe...

Diclotican

[jberryhill]

5. We should build it in Finland

Construction costs are much lower there than they are in Norwegia.

[mbperrin]

6. Sheesh! What are they whinin' about? It's not like it's THEIR country

or anything.

No - wait!.....

D'oh!

[mogster]

7. You know

That made me laugh! :D

The DU humour always do. Well, your country at least allows for people like me to have it out here, so it's not all bad.