Main Story of the Month

INTRODUCTION

In 2000 Norway finally entered the Islamic Republic of Iran. Then, the Foreign Ministry in Tehran had waited for thirty years and longer wondering why Norway with its specialized deep-water technologies had not come and helped Iran to develop the South Pars project, as well as other on -and offshore  projects in the Islamic Republic.

Assaluyeh Pars Special Energy Economi Zone

Even before the plane with its Government officials and representa-tives of the petroleum-related industries had left the Norwegian air-space, Norway had in fact already lost its unique business opportunity in the Islamic republic of Iran. These fish eating latecomers had all arrived Teheran’s Mehrabad Airport from a country which, in a radical way, distances itself from piety and where spirituality does not have any important place in the daily lives of the people. And were the word "Islam" in their nordic consciousness often is associated with terrorism and threats. The stage was now set for a humongous clash between two contradictory civilizations!

THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

ENDGAME TEHERAN

If Justice shall have any meaning at all, it must include

the person responsible for the Crime.

 Harald Dahle-Sladek

The Editor-in-chief

From the very outset it was the twisted Norwegian mindset, the whole chain of command in Oslo and it's ill prepared bureaucracy that faulted. Right from the Parliament down through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Energy and Oil, INTSOK and the industry, and the medium sized oil company Statoil whose ethical bearing were out of course. Their factual relations to Iran were all seriously lagging behind and bribery and corruption were only two unpleasant sides of a larger and more complex picture. Welcome to Norway's worst diplomatic, ethical and industrial catastrophy in modern times.


Norwegians in Tehran were rapidly revealing a devastating lack of empathic feelings and an over emphasizing on cognitive thinking in general and diplomatic correctness in particular. Among Norwegian dignitaries in Oslo and Tehran the phrase "the People of Iran" was nowhere to be heard. However, from the Iranian side, having the People of Iran in focus was a prerequisite for doing business in the country. Thus, as we shall see, from the very outset Norway were on a collision course with the Islamic republic; Norway and Statoil did nothing for the People of Iran.



In the case of Norway and Statoil in Iran, the agreement between Department of Justice and Statoil did not include that person responsible for the crime. Thus, the US Department of Justice and Norway's Økokrim both failed their obligation, to indict and prosecute the head of Statoil Olav Fjell. It gives the wrongest signal possible, and that is very serious. That the medium sized Norwegian oil company Statoil can pay itself out of bribery is intollerable. And the US-based Law firm Sulliwan & Cromwell representing Statoil did a splendid job facilitating just that!



Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani

The decision to bribe Mehdi, the son of President Hashemi Rafsanjani was awfully bad for Norway! In the eyes of the international community it was the worst that could happen. And Norway had to pay a heavy price. The total disrespect for an ethical bearing, suddenly revealed a system that collapsed for the whole world to admire. It was really bad, and totally unnecessary.

THE NOBEL PEACE PRICE TO SHIRIN EBADIN

In the middle of the Norway bribery scandal with Iran in 2003 the Nobel Committee gave the Peace Prize to Iranian opposition lawyer Shirin Ebadin. It was not enough with one problem with Iran, Norway had to create  a second! It was also a slap in the face of President Khatami and his Dialog among Civilizations program.

A SUSTAINABLE DIALOGUE AND COMMON GROUND?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee abuses its power and use the Prize in a political context to push the agenda of the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget. They did it with Iran in 2003 and with the Peoples Republic of China seven years later. Both instances prove that the Norwegian Parliament, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and the Foreign Ministry in Oslo are seriously lacking in experience in their ability to create sustainable dialog and common ground in international relations. In this context it remains a mystery to us what Norway can contribute to in the UN Security Council for the common good of Mankind.



NORWAY IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL

  The return of the Emperor’s New Clothes! 

With the promises (read: bribes) of future gains for supporting a place

for itself in the UN Security Council, Norway finally got itself a hot seat.

The situation between Iran and Norway was a catastrophe, and with the Statoil bribery-case rapidly unfolding it took just another twelve months before Norway was kicked out of Iran. Shortly after in 2010, Norway detonated another diplomatic bomb, this time with China as result of naively giving Chinese opposition personality Wen Jiabao the Nobel Peace Prize. It took Norway ten years to establish a new diplomatic foothold in the Peoples Republic of China. Two of humanity’s oldest cultures, the Persian and the Chinese had in less than ten years both denied Norway access. An astonishing achieve-ment on the world diplomatic scene. 

Hans Christian Andersen

wrote The Emperors New Clothes

To compensate for this traumatic downfall, and to show the entire upper echelon of the ruling world-elite that Norway could be trusted, it set forth to conquer a chair in the Security Council. And won! The overstretched country with its microscopic population of 5.4 million fish eating Norwegians was now geared to show off its new clothes. Like the Emperor in the fairytale by H C Andersen.

Many applauded Norway, but the few who knew her better were embarrassed and lowered their sights as the Queen from the North strutted her feathers. They were not fooled. Neither are we! What Norway can contribute with in the Security Council is unclear to us, but should it be en par with her Iran and China operations, then God help us all.

 At last the Norwegian Government had decided to enter the Islamic Republic of Iran. But it's reputation and political standing were to be ruined by lack of experience in creating dialogue and common ground with the Embassy of Iran in Oslo, and a deeper understanding of doing business with Teheran. Any previous negative energy between the two sides was carefully being hidden behind a constructed façade of exuberant optimism. And then, in an instant, the scene-carpet came down.

Opening of the Parliament Stortinget, Oslo

 E mail to the Department of Justice

Department of Justice

Attention the Attorney General

From Harald Dahle-Sladek, Oslo Norway

haroldsworld@petrofilm.com

www.petrofilm.com

                                                                            Oslo, October 2nd, 2020

Dear Sir,

I am writing to you to inform you about an article that I have written on my web page www.petrofilm.com It is the main article of the month of October and bears the title “ENDGAME TEHRAN.” In it I analyze the Statoil-Iran-bribery Case. Although the Department of Justice made an agreement with Statoil (Norway), the then head of the company Olav Fjell was never indicted.

My article proves that Olav Fjell in fact was responsible for the downfall of Statoil. The information revealed in the article proves that the information given by Statoil to Department of Justice does not constitutes the whole truth and is a breach of the agreement between Statoil and the Department.

The case of Statoil in Iran did not happen as a sudden bang but came as a result of assumptions that had to be present over time. It was therefore imperative on the part of the Norwegian power apparatus to prevent access to any context in something that was of a far more serious nature than Statoil's role in isolation. The full and complete truth would have revealed the full and complete responsibility. And they were not interested in that from the Norwegian side.

Tehran’s Ambassador to Oslo His Excellency Noghrehkar Shirazi told me, “In a meeting at Statoil where Olav Fjell was present, I gave him the mobile phone number of our Minister of Oil Zanganeh. Mr. Zanganeh had said to me, that if Fjell had any question in any direction, he was free to call. But Fjell never called him, and Zanganeh thought that very strange!” And that became the end for Statoil in Iran.

I can refer to United States versus the car maker VW. Where top leaders were indicted. If Justice shall mean something it should include the person(s) responsible for the crime.

Best regards

Harald Dahle-Sladek



Norwegian Energy Partners NORWEP (INTSOK)

Owned by the Ministry of Oil, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

the Norwegian Government and the Industry

On 10 January 2005, a meeting was held at INTSOK, Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners, in Hoffsveien 1, entrance 1A 4th floor. Present at the meeting were Knut Gulbrand Wangen, CEO of INTSOK and Harald Dahle from his own company Petroconsult. The meeting was arranged at the request of Dahle and lasted from one o'clock to about a quarter past two and a half. At the end of the meeting Mr. Wangen was deeply affected by the content and seriousness of the conver-sation. He himself expressed a certain dismay at everything Dahle had told him. 

At the meeting with Wangen on January 10, 2005, I said that even though my work was not accepted by INTSOK and by all the others, it could be worthwhile to invite me onto the carpet to hear a different facet, a different nuance than the one usually heard about Iran. Mr Wangen looked at me as he understood what I was talking about but said that such an input was not interesting. I wondered and sat back with a feeling of exclusion and little value at the same time as I understood that it was precisely such input from the side that could have brought in new knowledge and understanding. But this was not the case. Only the drawn official line was acceptable.

Representative Mr. Werner Karlsson of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners INTSOK to the editor-in-chief Harald Dahle-Sladek: You are not worried about human rights in Iran, are you? They take the lives of people, stone them .."

The opening of the Norway-Iran conference by INTSOK at Hotel Azadi in Tehran was a toned down and poorly presented presentation from the Norwegian side. The Norwegian minister spoke low, indistinct and did not have a friendly and positive attitude. No joy, no warmth. And no enthusiasm at all. It was a sad affair with an awfully bad audio. Embarrassing to travel so far and spend so much money and time with such a poor result. Beautiful suits probably do a lot, but far from enough.

THIS MONTH'S STORY CONTINUED. . .

THE THREE TRACKS

                                            Iran                  Norway        Petrofilm Dialoge Films         

Who agreed with whom, and who did not?

 My interests and Iran's interests coincided namely, to create dialogue and common ground and focus on the "People of Iran". A factor that was totally absent from the Norwegian side.

My interests did not coincide with the interests and perceptions of the Norwegians. I was there to create dialogue and common ground. Norway was there to make money and did not emphasize with the "People of Iran" which was a pre-requisite from the Iranian side if one   wanted to succeed in creating sustainable business in the country. Norwegian industry coincided with Iran’s but did a weak job of presenting the breadth of what Norway could offer in terms of services.

I came in from the sideline through an industrial three-national seismic project and thought it would be wise to have a round of talks in Tehran. Tehran had not experienced such attention as I gave them, and they therefore opened up all their doors to me, to Oslo's great annoyance.

It was first my dialog creating work aimed at the Iranians who came from Teheran to Oslo in 1998/99 within the three-national Persian Carpet 2000 seismic project. From North of the Persian Gulf to the Oman Sea. Six ships, lots of equipment and about one thousand people.

Then it was my "Vison of Iran" filmed interview project in 2002 in Teheran to lift up the People of Iran. The phrase "the people of Iran" was repeated over and over to me from the Iranian side, in the Foreign Ministry in Teheran. 

Then it was the Iranian Ambassador to Oslo Noghrehkar Shirazi's year-long grudge against the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was a separate project seen through his eyes and the Foreign Ministry in Teheran. These were two different projects, one within a seismic project, the other within diplomatic tensions between Iran and Norway.

The idea to create dialog and common ground was much the same for both tracks, but the information I received in Tehran and the usefulness and use of it were different for both. The information that Ambassador Ali Ahani gave me about the situation between Iran and Norway, for example, belonged only to the diplomatic project initiated by Ambassador to Oslo, Noghrehkar Shirazi, and myself.

The information I received from Mohammad Mohaddes in the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC about the latter announcing new exploration blocks, only belonged to the seismic project and was especially useful for Norwegian seismic company Global Geo Services in Oslo.

The Norwegian Storting, the Parliament, in principle coincided with Iran’s Parliament, Majlis. Top-level agreement.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs coincided with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran's view, but was charged with poor and late follow-up from Oslo over many years.

The views of the Ministers of Energy and Oil Mr. Olav Akselsen (2000) and Mr. Einar Steensnes (2003) in Oslo coincided in principle with the views of Minister of Oil Mr. Bijan Zanganeh in Teheran.

Statoil's management in Teheran, Mr. Harald Finnvik, coincided with the Ministry of Oil and NIOC, and at the same time it did not when Statoil ran its own under-the-table bribery race with Mehdi, the son of former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was Director for one of the NIOC companies.

My one hour talk on May 19, 2002 with Mr. Mehdi Mirmoezi, Deputy Minister of Petroleum and President of the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC, revealed that NIOC was in fact "very satisfied" with the works that Statoil's people had done so far in Iran.

A miserable presentation of Norway to the Iranian officials  in Tehran. Another miserable presentation by Deputy Minister of oil from Norway at the INTSOK opening at Azadi Hotel.

Norway probably meant it well, but presented itself amateurishly and did not mirror the Iranian culture and the greatness in the Iranian people. They not create thrust trough empathy and understood little or nothing at all. Lots of handshaking and bla-bla, but hardly any results to speak of. Talk about missing out on a huge opportunity!

  IRAN DAILY November 23, 2000

Left corner, Iran's powerful Minister of Oil Bijan Zanganeh, right corner

Minister for Energy and Oil, Norway Olav Akselsen in Teheran November 22nd 2000.

Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi

in April 2002, I visited my Iranian friend Mohammad Ali Abtahi in Tehran. Mohammad had been vice president to President Khatami, and he now headed the Institute for Dialog between the Religions. “The Christian God and the Islamic God is the same, one God,” Mohammad told me confidently with a smile.

Abtahi confirmed that both religions have many things in common, and that today the world needs dialog. The most important parts that are building civilizations are religions. But if every religion believes that it is the only and holy religion, we will not have dialog with other religions. Today dialog between the religions is taken very seriously and this is so because man feels that he must take special notice and care of what is common in the religions, because there is a common danger threatening the religions. The soul of the religions is spirituality, and it is being hurt in our time. This is a danger which threatens both Islam and Christianity. We have had many wars and unrest in the world, and this is also because of the lack of spirituality. Because of this the different religions need to collaborate.



Two different concepts altogether

One to make a as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time (above); the other to lift up the People of Iran and to create a sustainable dialog and common ground, Harald Dahle's book concept.

The Minister

CLICK HERE PLAY ZANGANEH

Minister of Oil Mr. Bijan Zanganeh

"I gave Fjell (CEO of STATOIL)  my mobile phone number,

but he never called me back!"

A BETRAYAL FROM THE NORWEGIAN SIDE

 "Why put money under the table,

when it should have been transfered into a nice offer

laid on the table?"

                                                                       The Editor-in-Chief

How an error in Spirit

became a Catastrophic failure in Matter.

"Isolating the case as a purely financial matter would at the same time prevent insight into the other underlying causes. Therefore, it can be said that the media largely refrained from tackling these underlying causes, and in that way played along with the scapegoat Statoil as well as with the Norwegian power apparatus." 

 The CEO

CEO of Statoil Olav Fjell is interviewed by the Norwegian

state-owned TV Channel "NRK".

Olav Fjell: We all live in a yellow submarine

DEVASTATING: STATOIL CEO OLAV FJELL, THE ONE WHO KNEW!

Norway had set its course and moved majestically through the sea like a modern cruise liner. But the Iranian waters proved to unfamiliar to navigate in and the ship headed for a disaster. But nobody on the Bridge cared.



NORWAY: DARK CLOUDS GATHERING

    Norway’s entering into the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2000 became a prelude to the worst diplomatic and industrial disaster the country had ever experienced. Only overshadowed by its nightmarish relations to Peoples Republic of China, in 2010 after the Norwegian parliament-appointed Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace prize to  Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo. In both cases Norway used its check-book diplomacy to crawl back and normalize its relations. To make oneself unpopular with two of the oldest civilations on the planet in less than ten years is quite an achievement in itself!

FROM THE PARLIAMENT DOWN

    At last the Norwegian Government had decided to enter the Islamic Republic of Iran. But it's reputation and political standing were to be ruined by lack of experience in creating dialogue and common ground with the Embassy of Iran in Oslo, and a deeper understanding of doing business with Teheran. Any previous negative energy between the two sides was carefully being hidden behind a constructed façade of exuberant optimism. And then, in an instant, the scene-carpet came down.

ZANGANEH'S MOBILE PHONE NUMBER

    During a good-bye reception at the Iranian Embassy in March 2004, just months before ending his four-year period as Ambassador and leaving Oslo for Teheran, Ambassador Noghrehkar Shirazi revealed to the Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle the following.

Shirazi:

"During a meeting that was held at the Statoil headquarter, I conveyed a message to Olav Fjell from our Minister of Oil Mr. Zanganeh. Zanganeh had instructed me to say that if Fjell had a question, ore problem, he could just phone him on his mobile phone. So, I gave Olav Fjell the mobile phone number Zanganeh had given me, but Fjell never called him back. The problems which Statoil had could easily have been cleaned out with Zanganeh over the phone, but there was no sign from Statoil and Zanganeh found this very odd!"

    It is worth commenting that at the time when Bijan Zanganeh instructed Ambassador Shirazi to give CEO Olav Fjell his private mobile phone number, he was already aware of Statoil's under-the-table operations with son of president Hashemi Rafsanjani. This is the impression that Harald Dahle got from Shirazi in March 2004.

STATOIL'S BETRAYAL AND DOUBLE-CROSSINGS

    In other words, if Statoil had a problem, any problem, - and as CEO of the company Olav Fjell would have known - he could easily have talked these matters over with Iran's powerful Minister of oil Mr. Bijan Zanganeh, but strangely enough he did not do that. The Ministry of Oil and the National Iranian Oil Company took this as a betrayal.

    Statoil had doubled crossed not only Tehran's powerful Minister of Oil Bijan Zanganeh, but also their own representative in Iran Mr. Harald Finnvik who knew nothing about the home offices bizarre under-the-table deals. And it quickly became the end for Statoil in Iran. The problems for Statoil in Iran only increased after that.

TEHERAN: STATOIL EMPLYEES ON THE OUTSIDE

    Said during the INTSOK Gardermoen Airport Conference Center gathering in February 2002 which Harald Dahle-Sladek attended:

Director Arne Eriksen, Statoil,

"As you can see, I am very frustrated. The Iranians are polite towards us (in Tehran), but we have a distinct impression of being kept on the "outside" of things...and it is a question for how long this can go on before we have to pull out altogether."

Harald Dahle-Sladek, Petrofilm,

"I suggested to Statoil's Arne Eriksen (who was in Tehran) on the phone that I was willing to negotiate with the Iranians for a better understanding between the two sides.

But, after consulting with his people Eriksen came back and said that it was of no interest to them.

I found their decision remarkably devoid of initiative and empathy; they simply did not fathom how to treat their Iranian counterpart." 

INTSOK - Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners, is a Norwegian organization owned jointly by the Ministry of Energy and Oil, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and about 100 of Norways largest, medium sized and small industrial companies for the purpose of helping and guiding these companies into foreign countries, under the umbrella of Norway's politics and regulations. Between 2000 and 2003 the Export Council of Norway was also involved.

RESPONSIBILITY WAS HEAVIEST AT THE TOP

    It was also incumbent of the Norwegian authorities to isolate the damage by acquitting the actual head of Statoil, Olav Fjell in order in this way, to quickly direct the responsibility downwards in the organi-zation and not upwards. The State acquitted itself, and the first to "be sanitized" was the Statoil CEO Olav Fjell himself.

    Norway's catastrophic involvement in the Islamic Republic of Iran between 2000 and 2003 is a good example of what I will describe as a vertical system collapse. The Oslo-Tehran-Statoil collapse did not spread in a horizontal direction, but was shaped like a wedge with the tip down. The relationship of responsibility was clearly heaviest at the top, which is the opposite conclusion that was drawn by the collective Norwegian  media elite at the time.

The Foreign Department, Oslo

 NORWAY-IRAN FOREIGN POLITICS

"It was in fact the Norwegian foreign politics versus Iran in

the thirty odd years preceding 2000 that created the

groundwork for a future conflict between

the two sides, in 2003." The Editor-in-Cief

Teheran's Ambassador to Oslo Mr. Noghrehkar Shirazi

to the Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle:

"The Norwegian Foreign Department and the others see that you run fast and reach high levels in Tehran, and it irritates them!

My be, many years ago they should have done the works

you have been doing now!"



Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oslo: Created the ground work for future conflict.



A SYSTEM COLLAPSE FROM THE PARLIAMENT AND DOWN

    The STATOIL bribery case with Iran was a System collapse from the Norwegian Parliament, down through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo; INTSOK, the Export Council, and STATOIL. It was incumbent on the Norwegian State to isolate the damage by acquitting the actual head of Statoil, the person who knew everything, Olav Fjell in order in this way to quickly direct the responsibility downwards in the organizationand not upwards.



A FOREIGN POLITICS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET

     Statoil needed to expand its area of operations abroad  and were indeed welcomed by Iran's Minister of Oil Bijan Zanganeh. However, with regards to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Foreign Ministry in Oslo had for thirty years and longer been walking on both sides of the street and cultivated contacts with opposition group like the Mujahed-din Kalk MEK - in the eyes of Tehran a Terrorist Organization - as well as with other enemies of Tehran.

    It was in fact the Norwegian foreign politics versus Iran in the thirty odd years preceding 2000 that created the ground-work for a future conflict between the two sides, in 2003. Read my interview from the Foreign Ministry Tehran with Ambassador Ali Ahani who confirms that this was the case: "Norway was lagging behind compared to other European countries."

TEHERAN: NORWAY DID NOT HAVE A GOOD STANDING

    But, unfortunately the situation between the two sides where such between 2000 (when Statoil entered Tehran) and in 2002 (when I spoke to Ambassador Ali Ahani and Ambassador Hossein Adeli in the Foreign Ministry in Tehran) that Norway in reality did not have a particularly good standing there.

    This somber reality  had made it somewhat problematic for Statoil. Therefore, it became tempting for Olav Fjell and his entourage to make a short-cut to the son of President Hashemi Rafsanjani and to use unconventional and criminal methods to try to secure work for Statoil at the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC. Statoil was now flying blind, and as we shall witness an implotion of dimentions was not far away in time.

THE CAPTAIN DERAILED THE PROJECT BEFORE START

    At the helm of Norways flagship stood Statoil's canonized Saint Olav Fjell, a man with semingly supernatural capability to survive in his position as CEO supported by an almost blindfolded Statoil-board. After having brought Statoils name down in the gutter and tainted Norway's flagship and reputation for the world to admire, this semingly untouchable man walked straight into  a new and high-paid job soon thereafter.

    It was his responsibility to implement Statoil's Iran strategy - his strategy - and to see it through. But, he did not understand that he had in fact already derailed the entire Statoil-goes-to-Iran operation. With no ethical and empathical bearings, CEO Olav Fjell continued the doomed and misguided plan like a drunk captain onboard a sinking ship. Where was his helpers? Ore my be they were all drunk?

OLAV FJELL: NOT A SINGLE WORD OF CRITICISM

Off course, Fjell should have known, because it was his duty to know and to understand. That is why he had a very high salary; but he didn't. In the meantime bribe-money was now flowing out of Statoil like water over the Niagara Falls! Mr. Saint Olav did not mind. After all it was not his money, but the taxpayers!

    In the following years not a word of criticism was raised against him. In the papers of Statoil's law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in Washington and New York not a single letter was mentioned regarding Olav Fjell. In fact, he was nowhere to be found.

    Statoil's new clearing boy Helge Lund signed the court paper for Statoil. And at that time Mr. Olav "untouchable" Fjell was far away over the shimmering horizon. However, the full and complete truth would have revealed the full and complete responsibility. But, they were not interested in the truth from the Norwegian side! Only to get off the hook of the US Justice Department and to close the case as quickly as possible so the dust could settle once and for all.   

    In the meantime, among the ruling elite of Norway, Mr Olav "untouchable" Fjell was regarded as a near folk hero and could chose any high-ranking position he wished for; all door were opened up to him. He had after all been pardoned by the State, sanitized as it were and made trustworthy again.

MULTIPLE HUMAN ERRORS AS SYSTEM COLLAPSES

    It is not one thing alone that triggers an accident, but the sum of many factors. This can be done with technical equipment as well as with a company or a state apparatus. System collapse is a good term when an electrical network - power grid - fails, but the term can just as well be used about Norway's entry into Iran where Norway's flagship Statoil was responsible for a failure of dimensions. The media isolated this incident as an economic affair - a corruption case.

 A DOWNWARD DEFLECTION AND A NEGATIVE TREND

    The truth is probably more that there were many other and different factors that were not of an economic nature that helped to trigger the catastrophe (downward deflection) These factors were such that a breakdown in the diplomatic relations between the two countries could only happen when these factors were present.

    Isolating the case as a purely financial matter will at the same time prevent insight into the other underlying causes. Therefore, it can be said that the media largely refrained from tackling these underlying causes, and in that way played along with the scapegoat Statoil, it's CEO Olav Fjell, as well as with the Norwegian Power Apparatus.

OBJECTIVE #1: TO PREVENT ACCESS TO THE TRUTH

    The case of Norway and Statoil in Iran did not happen as a sudden bang but came as a result of a bunch of assumptions that had to be present over time.

    It was therefore imperative on the part of the power apparatus (the State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, INTSOK and industry) to prevent access to any context in something that was of a far more serious nature than Statoil's role in isolation.

OBJECTIVE #2: THREATS AND HARASSMENTS

    The full and complete truth would have revealed the full and complete responsibility. And they were not interested in that from the Norwegian side.  It therefore became imperative to isolate the Editor-in-Chief Mr. Harald Dahle-Sladek with ice cold harassment and threats. Access was undesirable, and pressure was applied on him from every angle over twenty years. The Norwegian power apparatus was a closed circuit. So, they believed! 

A comment from the Editor-in-Chief

Petrofilm.com located in Oslo has in its possession several hundred times more material on Norway-Iran relations than is documented here. This includes E mails, letters, and writings. Some of that material is in nature revealing and unpleasant.

WORKING FIVE YEARS IN TEHERAN

AND IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Vision of Iran Dialogue Film by Harald Dahle-Sladek (short version)

 CLICK AND PLAY VIDEO

Working card in Iran for the Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle-Sladek

SEAL OF THE FOREIGN MINISTRY

THE FOREIGN MINISTRY TEHERAN

NORWAY-IRAN RELATIONS REVEALED

Teheran, on the premises of the Foreign Ministry. April 2002: The Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle-Sladek hurries back on United Nations Street after completing a filmed interview with Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Hossein Adeli in his office. "They invitet me into the Lion's den and told me more than I could have imagined; but it came at a price!"

CLICK PICTURE PLAY VIDEO

Adeli: Difficulties should be settled as a non-armed conflict

SEYED MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN ADELI PhD

    In April 2002 and in May 2003 I had several meetings in the Foreign Ministry in Tehran. There I met with Dr. Hossein Adeli, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs who was busy, but was very generous and took time off to talk with me. Adeli’s diplomatic career progressed through his appointment as Iranian Ambassador to Canada in 1995.

At the end of his term in 1999, Adeli was nominated as Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs and the chairman of the Coordinating Council for Foreign Economic Relations until 2004. During these years, Adeli initiated two special committees for Reconstruction of Afghanistan and Reconstruction of Iraq through a series of multilateral arrangements, and filled the role of Secretary General for both committees.

As his last official post, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary Pleni-potentiary of Iran to the United Kingdom. At his time, he along with John Curtis and several others lobbied with Iranian Government to borrow 80 items for a new exhibition named "The Forgotten Empire".



 AMBASSADOR ALI AHANI

NORWAY WAS ONE OF THE LAST COUNTRIES IN EUROPE  TO ESTABLISH GOOD AND SUSTAINABLE TIES WITH THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

     It so happened, that during my dialogue with Dr. Ahani, the tendon curtain between Norway and Iran suddenly went up. I did not ask for it to happen. Dr. Ahani freely and unrestrained opened up the entire relationship between the two countries, which to put it mildly, was a basket full of rotten eggs. Here is a short version of what Dr. Ahani told me in that meeting in the Foreign Ministry in Tehran on April 7, 2002.

    Ambassador to Europe and America, the present Ambassador to Paris, the sencond time, His Excellency Ali Ahani and Harald Dahle-Sladek in Dr. Ahani's office in the Foreign Ministry Tehran, April 2002. Dr. Ahani left, with Harald Dahle-Sladek, right in Ahani's office.

Picture below from the video during the interview. From Left, the translator, Ambassador Ali Ahani and Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle-Sladek. (C)2002 Harald Dahle Oslo.

Too much, Too late, Too dumb!

In 2000 Norway finally entered the Islamic Republic of Iran. Then, the Foreign Ministry in Tehran had waited for thirty years and longer wondering why Norway with its specialized deep-water technologies had not come and helped Iran to build the South Pars project as well as other onshore and offshore  projects.

    When I arrived the Foreign Department in Tehran in April 2002 the mood was somber, to say the least. Ambassador Ali Ahani was irritated. The Norwegian Foreign Department had for thirty years played on "both sides of the street" cultivating contacts with opposition groups to Iran, like the Mujahidin Kalk MEK. The attitude from the Norwegians had been cordial, but stiff and had not reflected the greatness in the Iranian culture and its people. Tehran was very hurt.

Dahle: -With regards to Norway and Iran relations Ambassador Ahani, I notice some slight irritation on your part, why is that?

Ali-Ahani: -In fact, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Norway have many opportunities. In addition to the economic and industrial cooperation we have oil and gas. I would like to emphasize the importance for us to finalize the oil and gas projects in the South along the Persian Gulf, as well as in the Caspian Sea. Norway and Iran are two important oil producing countries and can cooperate and coordination in the world oil market and stabilize oil prices, which would be in the interest of both oil producers and oil consumers.

Dahle: -You mentioned that the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Pettersen's visit to Tehran was a kind of watershed. Could you please explain that?

Ali-Ahani: In fact, in the past years, our relations lacked the sufficient momentum to further expand our relations. And in fact, compared to other countries in Europe, our relations with Norway were lagging behind. The visit of your Foreign Minister to Tehran show the firm determination of your country for the expansion of the relations with Iran. And certainly, there is such a political will and enthusiasm on the part of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran!

Dahle: -Thank you Dr. Ahani.



 THE ROLE OF PETROFILM

IN THE PERSIAN GULF

CLICK PICTURE PLAY VIDEO

PC2000 shooting seismic at Hendijan North of the Persian Gulf

Kish Island

Kish Free Trade Island Iran. Iran's Economic Zone,  March 2000 Harald Dahle left with representatives of Iranian Industries at the University of Kish for  a large Exhibition.

HARALD DAHLE'S "VISION OF IRAN" DIALOGUE FILMS

    I created Dialogue and Common ground with the People of Iran over five years, and that became a huge problem for the official Norway. They saw it as an act of treason and started a war of harassment and badmouthing. However, looking at their results it was then that I learned the hard way how mediocre, narrow minded and unprofessional the Norwegians were.

    With regards to Iran I came in from the side through a three-national industrial project between Norway, the Islamic Republic of Iran and People's Republic of China. The objective was to map the entire coast of Iran from North of the Persian Gulf (at Hendijan) to the Oman Sea (near the border of Pakistan) with six seismic vessels over three years. The name of the project was Persian Carpet 2000, or PC2000 for short.

    I first had relations building with the eleven Iranians who came to Oslo for the project in November 1997, Later I documented the entire project from day one in January 1998 and sent reports back to Oslo from Iran and Dubai.

    In 2001 I suggested to the Norwegian company which had contracts with Iran, that it could be greatly beneficial to have a round of dialogue talks in Tehran and listen to what they had to say there. I was of the opinion that without doing that, the project would fly blind, because there were so many unknown factors that we did not know about at the time. This strategy proved to be very advantageous to both sides.

    I presented my idea to the Deputy Head of the Iranian Diplomatic Mission in Oslo, His Excellency Rezvani, who presented it to Ambassador Noghrehkar Shirazi. I wanted to make a round of filmed interviews with the leaders of Iran under the umbrella "Vision of Iran". Ten days later they OK'd the project and all doors in Iran was opened up to me.

    Actually, I started in Dubai to prepare myself for this job, and then moved to the Iranian Kish Island some forty minutes by Kish Air from Dubai. There I visited the French oil compnay TOTAL and attended two seminars and exhibitions at the University of Kish.

    All the time I worked on a platform of Empathy, Respect and Dignity.

I was not in the Diplomatic business but created Dialogue and Common ground  with respect for the People of Iran and their outstanding Culture. That was my platform from which I had talks in Tehran and elsewhere. On May 19 2002 I completed the Vision of Iran dialogue talks in Tehran and flew back to Dubai. I left Dubai for Oslo one month later. In May 2003 I returnet to Teheran for the last time.

    My simple and honest idea became a huge burden to the official Norway, in such a disasterous way that high-level Iranian dignitaries became uneasy and shook teir heads in dismay. 

    Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Hossein Adeli in the Foreign Ministry in Teheran expressed gratitude for my work and told me, "When Harald Finnvik from Statoil Teheran visits me, I speak highly about the work that you do. Dr. Adeli was a great support to me in another vice tense situation.

STATOIL WAS READY TO THROW IN THE TOWEL AND GIVE IN

 Engaged US Law Firm

Sullivan & Cromwell  LLP

1701 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Washington/125 Broad Street New York N.Y

         WIERSHOLM  AS              SULLIVAN & CROMWELL LLP

          Anders Chr. Ryssdal           Margaret K. Pfeiffer           Samuel W. Seymour



    On August 20, 2004 at noon, a meeting was held in Oslo at the distin-guished Law firm WIERSHOLM where Harald Dahle-Sladek was present. He was asked by Senior Partner Anders Ryssdal to attend because Dahle, according to Ryssdal "knew much about Iran." Dahle arrived in Iran early January 1998, eighteen months before Norway entered the country in early 2000.

    At the time of the Wiersholm meeting Harald Dahle had already worked seven years on Iran. The same year in 2004, Dahle gave his works on Iran to the Library of the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo. Harald Dahle also had filmed interviews with the upper crust of the Iranian establishment, from the Presidents office to the Foreign Ministry and various organizations and companies.

    Through the filmed interviews that Harald Dahle had made in Tehran the lawyers Margaret K. Pfeiffer from the Washington Office and Samuel W. Seymour from the New York Office could both watch and hear directly from dignitaries in Tehran. To bring out high-level talks from Tehran which Dahle did was in itself unique.

Harald Dahle talks to Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi

Meeting at Law firm Wiersholm, Oslo

    During the meeting on August 20. 2004, Margareth K. Pfeiffer asked Harald Dahle to join Sulivan & Cromwell LLP for the STATOIL defence and get paid. He answered politely that he would have to think that proposal over. Both US lawyers were impressed by the material Harald Dahle had brought to the meeting.

     From law firm Wiersholm attended Anders Rysdal and Stefan Jervel. From STATOIL's Juridical Department came Odd Sollesnes; Head of Statoils Juridical Department Jacob S Middelton refrained. From Sullivan & Cromwel attended Margaret K Pfeiffer and Samuel W Seymour. Harald Dahle from Petrofilm attended.

The National Iranian Oil Company NIOC, May 27, 2003

FINAL METING ON MINISTER LEVEL IN TEHRAN 

Right side Iran, from right to left: Chief of Protocol, female speaker, Minister of Oil Zanganeh, Ambassador to Oslo Noghrehkar Shirazi with glasses. Left side Norway, number seven with glasses Minister of Energy and Oil Einar Steensnes. (C)2003 Harald Dahle-Sladek 

                                               Seal of the National Iranian Oil Company

The National Iranian Oil Company NIOC, Tehran

15th Executive Floor, May 19, 2002. Deputy Minister of Oil and President of the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC, His Excellency Mehdi Mirmoezi, right, with Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle-Sladek from Oslo, left after a one hour filmed interview. Mirmoezi, "We are very satisfied with the works done by Statoil here in Iran." Statoil's betrayal of Ministry of Oil and NIOC did not happen from Tehran, but from Oslo and Stavanger. On July 19, 2006 at 8PM I called Director Arne Eriksen in Statoil from Oslo. He was in Tehran in a Statoil meeting and sounded worried. I said to him that I was willing to negotiate for Statoil. He was surprices, but interested. He admitted that the situation was very problematic. Later at a meeting in Oslo he said,

"As you can see, I am very frustrated. The Iranians are polite towards us (in Tehran), but we have a distinct impression of being kept on the "outside" of things...and it is a question for how long this can go on before we have to pull out altogether."

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

    Tehran May 2003: Minister for Energy and Oil His Excellency Einar Steensnes, Norway (left) and Minister of Oil, His Excellency Namdahr Zangeneh, Iran, on their way from the plenum meeting Norway-Iran towards a more private setting on the 15th Executive Floor at the Headquarter of the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC, Tehran. Behind Steensnes walks Zangenehs body guard Mr Amiri, and behind him Tehran's Ambassador to Oslo, His Excelleny Noghrehkar Shirazi. Photo by Harald Dahle.

Ambassador to Oslo, His Excellency Noghrehkar Shirazi is seen here leaving the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC Headquarter in Tehran on May 27, 2003, after the completion of the last meeting on Minister level between Norway and Iran. Photo: (C)2003 Harald Dahle-Sladek Petrofilm

  THE LAST SUPPER

Tehran May 2003 National Iranian Oil Company. The last meeting between Iran (left) and Norway (right) on Minister level, before Norway was kicked out. Photo (C) 2003 Harald Dahle-Sladek



    Harald Dahle-Sladek was working in the Islamic Republic of Iran from January 1998 till May 2003. His responsibility was to create dialogue and common ground with Iran on behalf of an industrial three-National seismic consortium between People Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Norway. He did not represent the Norwegian Government or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo.

    In April 2004 Dahle gave much of his works on Norway and Iran to the library of the Norwegian Nobel Institute and in 2007 he met with President Mahmoud Amedinejads Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Oslo Military Society. Dahle-Sladek has more than twenty years research on Norway-Iran relations.

Harald Dahle, "I met Harald Finnvik in Tehran on several ocations.

He invited me up to the Statoil office, a nice-looking place which Statoil had rented. I had the best impression of Mr. Finnvik, and when he said he did not know about the wheeling and dealing that Statoil had done, I believed him."



General Manager for Norwegian Oil Company STATOIL in Iran Harald Finnvik seen here in ta talk with one representative for the Norwegian supply industry to the oil sector in a pause during the last Minister meeting between Norway and in Iran held at the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC in Tehran May 2003. Mr Finnvik is holding a CD in his right hand which contains filmed interviews from Petrofilm's Harald Dahle. Photo (C)2003 Harald Dahle-Sladek

Photo (C)2007 Harald Dahle-Sladek

    An example of this was when Aftenposten, Norway's largest and most influential newspaper, failed to take an interview with Harald Dahle-Sladek who had seen the whole affair with Norway in Iran as a whole and therefore could bring to light many underlying factors unknown to most. Dahle,

"They invited me for a nice lunch and listened to what I had to say. But I understood that these clowns did not possess what was needed to empathically understand what had really happened. So, nothing substantive came out of it."

The Iranian Embassy Oslo

Heart sick Ambasador rushed to hospital

However, when the Iranian Embassy in Oslo was attacked by an opposition group to Tehran and Ambassador Noghrehkar Shiraz fell ill, Aftenposten was quick to be there and put him on the front page.

The Police: Just like a father would treat his daughter!

    Deputy Head of Mission at the Iranian Embassy, His Excellency Mr. Rezvani to the Editor-in-Chief,

"The police came. One put his arm around the shoulder of a female protester, just like a father would do to his daughter. It was laughable the way the Oslo Police treated the aggressive protesters; they almost succeeded in breaking through our front entrance door."



Petropars Ltd. Tehran: The South Pars Field

Petropars Ltd Tehran April 2002. Left, President of Petropars Mr. A Turkan and Harald Dahle-Slade (right) The meeting took place three days before Mr Turkan was to leave for Oslo with the purpose to sign a contract with Statoil regarding Phase 6, 7 and 8 of the South Pars Oil and Gas Field which Iran shares with Qatar. Photo (C)2002 Harald Dahle-Sladek.

Kish Island Iran, The Persian Gulf, 2000

TOTAL: The Editor-in-Chief interviews representative of the French oil gigant TOTAL at their logistic base on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. When US sanctions started to bite, TOTAL endet it's operations in Iran.

     Revolutionary Icon Khomeini, Leader Khamenei

President Khatami

1997-2005

THE IRANIAN EMBASSY IN OSLO

  From right to left: Tehrans Ambassador to Oslo, His Excellency Noghrehkar Shirazi; at center His Excellency Ambassador Ali Ahani (interviewed by Dahle in the Foreign Ministry in Tehran April 2000) and left, Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle, pictured in the Iranian Embassy Oslo, October 2003,

Ambassador Noghrehkar Shirazi to Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle:

"The Norwegian Foreign Department and the others see that you run fast and reach high levels in Tehran, and it irritates them! My be many years ago, they should have done the works you have been doing now!"

The Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle left with His Excellency Ambassador Ali Ahani center, and Ambassador to Oslo His Excellency Noghrehkar Shirazi (holding a Petrofilm DVD in his left hand containing Dahles filmed interviews from Tehran) Seen here in the reception room at the Iranian Embassy Oslo, October 2003.

 Tehran Oil and Gas Exhibition 2002

"Statoil spent money as if it was water! They gave out millions of Dollars in bribes to a foreign country, but would not pay for a litle service rendered to them by one of their own countrymen. It is pathetik in extreme!"

                                                                                   The Editor-in-Chief

 IN THE GREACY STATOIL-CULTURE

 OF LIES AND DECEPTION

  an agreement based on a firm handshake and

  an honest word ment nothing

    April 2002: Mr. Lars Gunnar Dahle of Statoil Norway asked us at Hotel Azadi in Tehran where we stayed if we could film the Statoil stand at the Oil and Gas Exhibition in Tehran. Mr. Gunnar Dahle was the person in Statoil responsible for setting up Exhibitions. We so did, and after arriving at our base at Hotel LeMeridien Airport Rd in Dubai sometimes later, we sent the finnished product via DHL Courier to Statoil's Headquarter at Forusbeen 50 in Stavanger.

 Click picture and Play

Statoil video from Oil and Gas Exhibition Tehran 2002, made by Petrofilm

Later, back in Oslo, we sent Statoil a modest request for payment of the DHL Courier service and work. After the 2006 agreement between Statoil and the Department of Justice, Statoil dragged it's feets and would not admit to giving us the job, because as they proclaimed, "That there is no contractual basis for the work." Which is dishonesty presented as a legality. This is the answer we received from Statoil:

Petroconsult

Harald Jan Dahle

We refer to your claim with various attachments dated 22 October 2008

to Helge Lund.

Based on the information in your letter with attachments, we have carried out a further investigation internally in relation to your demand for payment. After this review, we have concluded that there is no contractual basis for your claim for payment.

Based on this, we unfortunately have to reject your claim

in the letter of 22 October 2008.

With best regards

StatoilHydro ASA

Michael Price

Original letter

STATOIL film from Tehran Oil and Gas Exhibition sent from Dubai.

Cash Payment of Dirham 207.- paid by us, equals NOK 528.-

NORWAY'S MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND OIL

    That's what friends are fore: Minister of Energy and Oil Norway, His Excellency Einar Steensnes, left, receives a DVD containing filmed interviews from Harald Dahle-Sladek which he did in Tehran in April and May, 2002.

Smiles and handshakes before curtain fall, June 2003

 PETROFILM

VISION OF IRAN

 DIALOGUE INTERVIEWS FROM TEHRAN

Click Picture Play Video

DVD Cover

The Mustazafan Foundation

of the Islamic Revolution

I was invited to the largest charitable Foundation in the Middle East, The Mustzafan Foundation of the Islamic Revolution (MJF) Their headquarter is in the former buildings of Hotel Hilton in Tehran.

The Mustazafan and Janbazan Foundation, MJF has is a huge conglome-ration of industries, from road and dam building, charitable work for the people of the Iraq war, research, manufacturing and hotels.

From left to right Editor-in-Chief Harald Dahle-Sladek , Contracts Director Reza Shaeri and representatives of MJF. At the time I worked in Iran 1998-2003, in the Precidency of Mohammad Khatami, , there was no US sanctions towards Iran.

EPITAPH

    The collapse did not spread in a horizontal direction, but was shaped like a wedge with the tip down. The relationship of responsibility was clearly heaviest at the top, which is the opposite conclusion that was drawn by the collective Norwegian  media elite at the time.

    It is a Norwegian tradition that a high-ranking CEO does not really loses his or her job, but is merely given the opportunity to start-up in a new high-ranking position shortly thereafter. The "Old Boys Club" certainly knows how to take care of its own!

Agreement between

Department of Justice and STATOIL ASA Norway

Department of Justice, USA

Law firm SULLIVAN & CROMWELL, USA

Law firm WIERSHOLM, Norway

STATOIL ASA Norway

The Persian Carpet 2000

SEISMIK PROJECT FROM NORTH OF THE PERSIAN GULF TO THE OMAN SEA

  I.R. Iran January 1998-May 2003

Click picture Play video

Harald Dahle, Transition Zone-1, Hendijan Iran Seismic shooting year 2000

Six seismic vessels attended. These were,

                                             From China: Bin Hai 504

                   Bin Hai 517

               Hai Shi-1

                                                 From Iran: Pejwak

                                          From Norway: Odin Explorer

                                                                     Geo Mariner

Picure above and below: Islamic Republic of Iran, Hendijan North of the Persian Gulf, February 2000, shooting seismic in Transition Zone 1, Chinese vehicle, Harald Dahle-Sladek has lunch on the side, pre-made food from the Chinese mother ship Bin hai 504. Below, a salvo of two kilo explosives on ten meeters deep in the sand goes off. Harald Dahle-Sladek on a safe distance, up in the right corner.

Between 1998 and 2003 Dahle held dialogue talks in Tehran on behalf of a three-national seismic project between Norway, Iran and China. He did not represent the Norwegian Foreign Department or the Government, but only the three industrial participants who together shot seismic from North of the Persian Gulf into the Oman Sea near border of Pakistan.

Picture below: Chinese seismic mother ship Bin Hai 504 (blue color) with source boat Hi Shi-1 (red color) in the persian Gulf, Iranian side, near Hendijan April 2000. Frame grab by Harald Dahle-Sladek.

Chinese Seismic Vessels Bin Hai 504 and Hi Shi 1

Frame grab by Harald Dahle

Six ships, two Norwegian, three Chinese and one Iranian did the job on time. The Iranians were very forthcoming, and I held meetings on high levels, in the Foreign Ministry, in the Oil Ministry, in the National Iranian Oil Company NIOC and on Government level, and in many other places.

Norwegian Seismic Vessel MS Geo Mariner in Iranian Waters

The PC2000 Seismic Project. Frame grab by Harald Dahle