Sources in NATO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirm to news that they see it as likely that Jens Stoltenberg’s term as NATO Secretary General will be extended for a short period. – Finding a candidate who is ready for the autumn becomes less and less likely with each passing day, says a source to news. Stoltenberg has made it clear several times that his time as secretary general of the defense alliance is coming to an end. That was also the message at the Ramstein base on Friday, in an interview with news: – I have no other plans than to end my work in NATO in the autumn as planned. I have been there twice as long as expected, says Jens Stoltenberg. – All my focus is on the work I will be doing until then, but I am very confident that Nato will find an excellent successor after me. Jens Stoltenberg – second longest serving in NATO Jens Stoltenberg is already the second longest serving Secretary General in NATO’s 74 years. Most of the predecessors have only served the four-year period for which they are first appointed. Only the Dutchman Joseph Luns will have a longer time as chief than Stoltenberg. Luns ruled the defense alliance between 1971 and 1984. Stoltenberg started in the job on 1 October 2014. His term ended in the autumn of 2017, but has since been extended three times: In 2017, it was agreed that he should continue until the autumn of 2020. In the spring of 2019, they asked allies for another extension, this time until 1 October 2022. When the Ukraine war broke out in February of the same year, the question quickly arose: could he be secretary-general for a little longer? When the summits in Nato countries met about a month later, they agreed that the Norwegian should add another year, now until 30 September 2023. Several actually wanted Stoltenberg to be extended longer than that. That it ended with one year is due to France. It is well known in diplomatic circles that the French and the French president are not quite as enthusiastic about the former Norwegian prime minister as, for example, US President Joe Biden is. The search for the successor The question is when the name of the successor can be clear. Jens Stoltenberg basically has the job until 1 October, but it is a date that is fast approaching. There is even less time until the NATO summit in Vilnius on 11-12. July, where it would be natural to announce the name of a new secretary-general. And there are still no signs that the member states have come close to an agreement on a clear candidate, according to several sources close to the process. Kate Hansen Bundt, secretary general of the Norwegian Atlantic Committee, shares that impression. – There is much evidence that Jens Stoltenberg will remain in office until next summer. We still see no end to the war in Ukraine. Nato is the guarantor that this does not spread to the rest of Europe, she says. – The alliance is in the midst of a realignment process in which Stoltenberg is deeply involved. Next spring, NATO also turns 75 and the birthday will be celebrated with a summit in Washington on 4 April. Stoltenberg will probably take this with him. – The US wants him to stay in office, and there is no agreement on the many candidates who are mentioned as his successor, says Hansen Bundt. Sources in NATO confirm to news that both the USA and Germany are among the countries that have asked Stoltenberg to continue for a while longer. – Jens Stoltenberg will get another extension if he wants it, says a centrally located source. US President Joe Biden and the circle around him are very satisfied with the job Jens Stoltenberg is doing as NATO chief. They have repeatedly pressed for him to continue. Here from the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022. Photo: POOL / Reuters Slow process So far, all statements from Stoltenberg have pointed in the opposite direction. And in principle, it is still possible to agree on a new candidate, if US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz are eager enough to make it happen. – Once candidates arrive, things can go quickly. The assumption is that Biden and Scholtz want it enough, says a source to news. However, the impression is that the process so far does not indicate that the attempt to quickly find a successor has top priority. – The pressure in the process has been low. There is a feeling that recruitment has not been taken seriously. And now time is running out, says another centrally located source to news. This photo from a summit in December 2019 has gone down in NATO history. Jens Stoltenberg was considered one of the few who managed to handle former US President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from the defense alliance that the country helped to found. Photo: Francisco Seco / AP Staying by the boss’s side In an article in Dagens Næringsliv today, it became public knowledge that Jens Stoltenberg’s chief of staff Stian Jenssen has withdrawn his application for a top job in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jenssen confirms to news that he has withdrawn his application, as it was not possible for him to specify a concrete date for when he would be available for a new position. Kate Hansen Bundt of the Atlantic Committee sees this as another sign of extension for Stoltenberg. – This is the man who has promised to be by Stoltenberg’s side until the boss leaves NATO, she emphasizes. The cooperation between NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has brought NATO and the EU closer together. In March, they visited the Troll A platform in the North Sea together. Now there is speculation that she may become his successor. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB From the EU to NATO? If it turns out that Jens Stoltenberg remains in office, 6 months is the time period that is mentioned most often. This will mean that he will be in office until the spring of 2024. It is described as absolutely crucial that NATO has a new Secretary General well in advance of the presidential election in the USA in the autumn of 2024. The cabal is complicated, and there are many and sometimes conflicting considerations to take into account. The names mentioned include Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. – Rumors say that Ursula van der Leyen has a high star in Washington. She will obviously get support from her home country Germany and was also France’s candidate for the EU position, says Kate Hansen Bundt. – She has stood firmly by Ukraine’s side and been important in unifying the EU countries’ sanctions and support. – Her term in the EU expires next summer, and a change could possibly be announced at the birthday party on 4 April and carried out a few months later. Also listen:
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It is likely that Jens Stoltenberg will continue in NATO – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
