Nexus

Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn og Vinstri grænir héldu landsfundi sína um helgina. Í landsfundarályktunum flokkanna tveggja er að finna kafla um utanríkismál:

Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn (ályktun í PDF)

Vinstri grænir (ályktun í PDF)

English translation below

Two political parties, the Left-Green Movement and the Independence Party, held their party conferences this weekend. Both of them include chapters about foreign policy in their political manifestos.

The Left-Green Movement:

• Says that action is required to stop what they refer to as the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people. This should include:
  • An embargo of Israeli products by the government and the city of Reykjavik
  • And the government should sever political relations with the State of Israel
• Believes that Iceland has to increase its support for international development
• Believes that Iceland can and should allow more refugees into the country and:
  • It should not hide behind the Dublin Regulation [about refugees]
  • It is important that refugees are treated fairly
  • That laws about foreigners in Iceland [96/2002] should be revised

According to the Independence Party it is important that Iceland remains independent in economic matters but it can only do so if the international community follows generally accepted rules.

The Independence Party:

• Thinks that it is of the essence that Iceland can engage in free trade
• Believes that it is important that Iceland devise a long term plan for economic sustainability since the future is uncertain. Iceland has for instance recently lost important foreign markets. It is important for Iceland to weight long term security concerns against economic factors when it supports embargoes.
• Condemns Russia´s annexation of the Crimean peninsula and it´s role in Eastern Ukraine. Furthermore the party condemns Russia´s embargo against Icelandic products.
• Supports more free trade agreements with countries in the Americas and Asia
• Supports efforts to reduce the numbers of weapons of mass destruction
• Supports Nordic cooperation
• Believes that Iceland should fight for peace and human rights within the UN system
• Believes that fewer trade barriers and increased environmental awareness will benefit the poorest countries of the world
• Supports the two state solution with regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Supports the EEA agreement but its development must be monitored
• Believes that Iceland should not reapply for membership of the EU but if it does it should only do so after a referendum.
• Believes that Iceland should pay close attention to developments in the High North
• Believes that Iceland should remain in NATO and that the bilateral defense agreement with the U.S. should remain in force
• Believes it is important to examine the structure of security services in the Icelandic administration. Iceland should pay particular attention to new threats.
• The Schengen agreement [which deals with border controls] must be revised