On Friday 24 April 1998, His Excellency Mr. Bjørn Barth, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway met with the Registrar of the International Tribunal, Mrs. Dorothee de Sampayo Garrido-Nijgh.

On behalf of the Government of Norway, the Ambassador signed an Agreement with the United Nations on the Enforcement of Sentences imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in Norwegian prisons.

Norway is the third State to sign such an Agreement, Italy and Finland having previously signed Agreements on 6 February 1997 and 7 May 1997 respectively. With regard to Norway, the Agreement entered into force upon signature.

The Registrar thanked Ambassador Barth for his official visit and for Norway's decision to enter into the Agreement, and expressed her appreciation for the strong support of Norway for the activities of the International Tribunal. She pointed out that Agreements on the Enforcement of Sentences are critical to the International Tribunal’s ability to carry out its responsibilities. The Ambassador noted that signing the Agreement is an expression of Norway’s commitment to the successful implementation of the mandate given to the International Tribunal by the Security Council of the United Nations. Moreover, it reflects Norway’s full support of the ongoing work to establish a permanent International Criminal Court.

Agreements on the Enforcement of Sentences, such as the one signed by the Government of Norway, are concluded on the basis of the International Tribunal’s Statute, which provides that sentences imposed by the International Tribunal will be served in States "which have indicated to the Security Council their willingness to accept convicted persons." In order for a sentence to actually be served in a State, an Agreement on the Enforcement of Sentences is needed to establish both the legal framework within which the sentence will be served as well as the practical arrangements necessary for carrying out the sentence.