Terje Rød-Larsen
Terje Rød-Larsen | |
---|---|
Nils Totland | |
Succeeded by | Bendik Rugaas |
Personal details | |
Born | Labour | 22 November 1947
Spouse | Mona Juul |
Terje Rød-Larsen (born 22 November 1947) is a
Rød-Larsen came to wide international prominence as a key figure in the 1990s negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords—the first-ever agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) -- when he served as the Director of the Fafo institute.[1][2][3][4] He is played by the actor Andrew Scott in the film Oslo, based on the play of the same name.
In 1993, Rød-Larsen was appointed Ambassador and Special Adviser for the Middle East Peace process to the Norwegian Foreign Minister, and the following year, he became the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories at the rank of Under-Secretary-General.
Rød-Larsen briefly served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Planning and Cooperation of Norway in the Jagland cabinet in 1996. He had to resign after a tax affair regarding him came to public attention.[5]
Rød-Larsen then returned to the United Nations, where he again became an Under-Secretary-General, serving as the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority from 1999 to 2004.
From 2004 to 2020,[6] Rød-Larsen has been the president of the International Peace Institute (IPI), based in New York City, adjacent to the United Nations, which the IPI works with extensively. He resigned in 2020 over previously undisclosed links to Jeffrey Epstein.[7]
Biography
Rød-Larsen grew up in
Early Middle East work
In 1989 Rød-Larsen moved to
Oslo Accords
When serving as the Director of the
The 2016-2017 Broadway play, Oslo, by noted playwright J. T. Rogers, is a widely-praised dramatization of the previously unheralded secret work of Rød-Larsen and his wife, and others, in developing the back-channel communications that (reportedly) saved the Oslo negotiations from collapsing.[1][2][3][4]
The same year Rød-Larsen became formally employed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a special advisor on Middle Eastern affairs.
Mid-1990s to Mid-2000s
From 1994 to 1996, Rød-Larsen served as former
In 1996, Rød-Larsen served briefly as minister of administration in the government of Thorbjørn Jagland, before being forced to resign as the result of a tax scandal.
In 9/9/1999, Rød-Larsen was appointed as
.2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
16 August
Rød-Larsen was sent by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to Lebanon and Israel to follow up on the implementation of the cease-fire resolution, the United Nations announced on 16 August 2006.[9]
20 August
On this date Rød-Larsen told reporters. "There is a golden opportunity for Lebanon to solidify its democracy, to assert it authority, to produce a situation where Lebanon can be reconstructed and where Lebanese can live peacefully with its neighbors in prosperity. All this is at hand."[10]
22 August
The United Nations special envoy to Syria and Lebanon said on 22 August 2006 it could take the Lebanese army and international troops two to three months to fill a "security vacuum" in southern Lebanon and warned that "unintended" acts could spark renewed fighting.
"There is now a security vacuum which the Lebanese government is trying to fill" with the help of international forces, said Terje Rød-Larsen. "But I think realistically, up to a point, you will have such a vacuum in Lebanon for the next two, three months," he added. "The situation is still extremely fragile... Unintended incidents can kick off renewed violence, which might escalate and spin out of control."[11]
Controversy
In 2020 media revealed that he Rød-Larsen had borrowed 130,000 USD from Jeffrey Epstein.[12] During the week that preceded 18 October 2020, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry requested that Rød-Larsen clarify the ties between Epstein and Rød-Larsen.[13] On 21 October Dagens Næringsliv said that [sometime] after [the money was borrowed], Rød-Larsen directed IPI to pay 100,000 dollars to Epstein,[14] although an audit by accounting firm KPMG found no payment was made.[15] On 29 October 2020, Rød-Larsen resigned the presidency of the foundation (IPI).[6][16]
References
- ^ New York Timesretrieved May 6, 2017
- ^ a b c Jones, Chris, "'Argo' and the new play 'Oslo' are stories about heroes nobody knows," April 21, 2017, Chicago Tribune retrieved May 6, 2017
- ^ Public Broadcasting System(PBS), retrieved May 6, 2017
- ^ New York Timesretrieved May 6, 2017
- ^ Lars Nehru Sand. https://www.nrk.no/ytring/den-misforstattes-kampskrift-1.15219328
- ^ a b "Terje Rød-Larsen trekker seg som president for International Peace Institute". 30 October 2020.
- ^ Richard Roth (31 October 2020). "Epstein donations force resignation at international peace organization". CNN. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "Secretary-General appoints Terje Rød-Larsen of Norway as United Nations Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process" (Press release). United Nations. 21 September 1999. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ "Lebanese troops deploy as part of U.N. cease-fire". CNN. 17 August 2006. Archived from the original on August 21, 2006.
- ^ "U.N. envoy: Lebanon facing critical test". CNN. 20 August 2006.
- ^ a b "Italy to send up to 3,000 troops to Lebanon, largest pledge so far". Haaretz. 22 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-22.
- ^ [ Dagens Næringsliv: Terje Rød-Larsen owed Jeffrey Epstein 130,000 dollars] Dagens Næringsliv: Terje Rød-Larsen skyldte Jeffrey Epstein 130.000 dollar. 14 October 2020
- ^ "I forrige uke ba Utenriksdepartementet Rød-Larsen om mer klarhet rundt forbindelsene mellom de to."
- ^ "Onsdag skrev DN at Rød-Larsen på et tidspunkt skyldte Epstein 130.000 dollar, og at han senere ga grønt lys for en utbetaling av 100.000 dollar fra tankesmia til Epstein."
- ^ "Release of KPMG Forensic Review and IPI Probity Review". 22 December 2020.
- ^ Richard Roth (31 October 2020). "Epstein donations force resignation at international peace organization". CNN. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
External links
- Media related to Terje Rød-Larsen at Wikimedia Commons
- Innlegg: Fredsmeglingens fallgruver [Received articles: The pitfalls of peace-brokering]. 7 May 2021. Dagens Næringsliv
- Rød-Larsen's wife, Mona Juul's house bugged, Nettavisen, 20 January 2004.
- Rød-Larsen at the UN, 13 July 2004.
- Rød-Larsen overseeing Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, 17 March 2005.
- Foreign ministry to investigate money to Rød-Larsen, 24 April 2002
- Rød-Larsen wanted to become United Nations-chief (Rød-Larsen ville bli FN-sjef)