– More important than ever – Dagsavisen
It states connected in a press release.
Football president Terje Svendsen and general secretary Pål Bjerketvedt have been in doubt whether they want to travel after the arrest to NRK journalists in the country, but the country is still leaving.
– There are good reasons not to travel, but we have concluded that it is more important than ever to travel. Meet representatives of authorities, the World Cup Committee and the migrant workers. Ask important and critical questions. In other words, follow the line of dialogue adopted by the Federal Parliament. Then close contact with the source is necessary, says Bjerketvedt.
Anders Hasselgård, leader of the working group that works with the Qatar initiatives in the NFF and Fellesforbundets Steinar Krogstad travels together with Svendsen and Bjerketvedt on 8 December.
The arrest of NRK journalists Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani left Bjerketvedt in despair.
– It tears down confidence in the Qatari regime. It is not more than a few weeks ago, I participated in a Nordic meeting in Copenhagen, where we had talks with the World Cup committee and its leader Hassan Al Thawadi, Bjerketvedt told NTB last week.
– One of the issues was freedom of the press, and he made it clear, on behalf of the World Cup Committee, that there will be full freedom of the press before, during and after the World Cup. He is specified in addition and means free movement for international press in Qatar. This is an expression of the opposite. It is difficult to have confidence in assessing what is being done and the response we have received, the Secretary General explained.
[ Olympiatoppen avlyser reise til Beijing ]