Norway says refugee talks progress

The asylum seekers were plucked from a ferry in distress by a Norwegian cargo ship

LONDON, England -- Norway says that talks with Australia over hundreds of refugees stuck on a Norwegian freighter off Christmas Island are "making progress."

Foreign Ministry Thorbjoern Jagland told Norwegian news agency NTB that he had a "certain optimism" after talks over the previous 24 hours.

After rescuing at least 438 refugees from a sinking Indonesian ferry on Monday, the cargo ship Tampa has been at the centre of a global row as Australia, Norway and Indonesia took up defensive positions on what to do with them.

Australia had up to Thursday maintained its position, saying it would force the stranded cargo ship Tampa out of its territory.

On Wednesday Norway's Foreign Ministry summoned Australian Ambassador Malcolm Leader, but progress in talks was apparently minimal and the dialogue was described as "deadlocked."

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But on Thursday Jagland reported that the mood had changed. Jagland spoke to his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer several times overnight and again on Thursday to discuss the deadlocked situation and talks would continue, a spokesman said.

"At least we agree that we have to find a solution and that is a realistic approach to the problem," Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokesman Karsten Klepsvik told Reuters.

"We won't give up. We will continue to do what we can to resolve this situation," he said. Jagland repeated Norway's stance, but said his country might be prepared to express willingness to take in the migrants if asked by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"Norway has previously contributed to taking refugees if the UNHCR has asked. So far, we have not been asked," he said.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson called on Australia to admit the asylum seekers.

Robinson said that Australia bore "primary responsibility" for the migrants, most of whom are from Afghanistan. She said the United Nations Convention on Human Rights required they be let into the nearest port.

"At least their situation should be assessed," she added. "They should be admitted, they should be treated in an appropriate human-rights way.... Indonesia also has responsibility but I believe Australia has the primary responsibility at the moment."

Robinson, who is in South Africa to attend an international racism conference which starts on Friday, said she would speak to Australian officials about the migrants.

The international medical aid organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without borders), in Geneva also called on Australia to accept the asylum seekers.

It said it was sending a medical team to to provide independent humanitarian assistance to the refugees.

"MSF requests that the Australian government gives the refugees on the ship immediate access to Christmas Island on humanitarian grounds. Providing medical care and assistance to the refugees should be the first priority," it said in a statement.

The MSF team, including a doctor, nurse and logistician, has previous experience working in Afghanistan and is familiar with the living conditions faced by Afghan civilians.

The statement added: "Working closely with refugees and displaced in Afghanistan and the region, it is clear for MSF that the vast majority of Afghans are fleeing war and persecution.

"After two decades of war, the Afghan population is now also facing its fourth year of drought and continuing poor harvests. The local population’s traditional ‘coping mechanisms’ have been stretched to the limit over the last few years. In the past months MSF teams, working in Afghanistan, have responded to scurvy and an on-going cholera epidemic."

Amnesty International is also urging the Australian government to act quickly and humanely in light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ship.

"The practice of intercepting vessels carrying refugees and asylum-seekers has increased during the past years in many parts of the world. However, the action taken by Australia in this situation is unprecedented," it said from its London headquarters.

"The boarding of troops to stop the vessel from reaching the nearest port and the current government proposal to introduce retroactive legislation reportedly to allow the ship to be forced out of Australian territorial waters, are deeply upsetting and in flagrant violation of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention to which Australia is a state party," Amnesty International added.

"The Australian government's course of action also means that there is a risk that commercial ships in the future will be disinclined to provide assistance in rescue missions at sea, which might have tragic consequences."