Norway has cancelled its arms embargo against Israel.
Norwegian National Armaments Director Lief Lindback told ''Defense News'' that the ministry was reverting to its policy of examining each arms and defense equipment purchase from Israeli companies on its own merits.
Norwegian Minister of Defense Kristin Krohn Devold has cancelled the order made in April (during Operation Defensive Shield) banning Israeli companies from participating in Norwegian government tenders.
Lindback said the order was not an embargo against Israeli companies, but a suspension of procurements until the completion of an internal audit of procurement procedures. He said the aim was "to examine how the system handles trade with Israel."
Official Israeli sources said the resumption of Norwegian arms purchases from Israel followed a meeting in Oslo last week between Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Rabbi Michael Melchior.
Melchior's media advisor Moni Mordechai said Bondevik promised to cancel "all government orders that could be interpreted as an embargo against Israeli companies."
Norway has bought only $7 million worth of Israeli arms in the past decade, but the Ministry of Defense was concerned that the Norwegian arms embargo might influence other Scandinavian and European countries to take similar measures.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on July 2, 2002