(Det talade ordet gäller.)

Ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Louise Arbour, to Stockholm. We pledge you all our support in your crucial task.

We have selected a theme for this lunch seminar, which is close to the heart, and active efforts, of both the High Commissioner and the Swedish Government: "Security under the rule of law."

The horrible events of September 11, 2001 raised our awareness that we all can be subject to terrorist attacks or the impact of terrorist attacks. There was a clear need to act, both on a global level within the UN and for individual states. But at the same time we must also acknowledge that in a number of countries it has led to measures that severely threaten the impressive progress on human rights of the last decades. Many states have adopted counter-terrorism measures, without sufficient discussions on its effect on the rule of law and legal security, and that sometimes are in breach of their international obligations. And not sufficient criticism has been voiced about this evolution. A number of governments have increased repressive measures against their dissidents under the umbrella of counter-terrorism measures.

The Swedish Government has been vocal and clear: The fight against terrorism must be pursued with full respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Terrorism is not new. But the challenges to combat it have become far greater today. Terrorist acts have been given a new, wider and more dangerous dimension. The consequences are devastating and sometimes threaten the core values of our societies. If the situation created by terrorist acts is severe enough, the international standards on human rights provide for the possibility of derogation in times of emergency. But derogations may only be invoked according to established procedures and conditions, such as strict necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination. And never, under no circumstances, can derogations be made from non-derogable rights, such as the prohibitions of torture and of extra-judicial executions.

In her last Foreign Policy declaration my predecessor Anna Lindh stated:

"International terrorism is a threat to our rights. Intolerance based on a black-and-white view of the world is its foundation, financing through criminality and illegal money transactions its precondition, ruthlessness and terror its tools. No goal, no cause, no struggle can justify terror aiming to kill and maim innocent civilians. Sweden will always be in the vanguard when it comes to fighting terrorism.

But if we let the fight against terrorism take priority over human rights, we will be the losers and the terrorists will triumph. Human rights are at the heart of the tolerant lifestyle we aspire to and they oppose.

For this reason Sweden has successfully advocated that EU efforts to fight terrorism should be carried out in compliance with human rights. For this reason we have requested that the Swedes included on the UN sanctions list be removed from it since there is no evidence against them, and that the UN sanctions system be changed. For this reason we have demanded that the Swede imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay be released immediately."

Our efforts give result. But it takes too long time. Far too long.

The Swedish prisoner at Guantanamo is home. It is welcome to note that the US Supreme Court has confirmed the rule of law and the right of persons being held at Guantanamo to have their detention examined by American courts and tribunals. There can be no legal vacuum in which individuals can be deprived of their freedom beyond the protection of the law.

The introduction of targeted Security Council sanctions against individuals alleged to have terrorist links raise serious concerns regarding the rule of law and the human rights of the individuals. One Swedish citizen and three Swedish entities still remain on the sanctions list pursuant to resolution 1267. This continues to be of great concern to the Swedish Government. We have not been presented with any substantial evidence that justifies these listings. We have actively promoted within the EU and the UN that this system must be made legitimate in order to be effective. This should include a possibility of review of the measures taken.

I am confident that the United Nations High Level Panel on UN reform, which will tomorrow present its report to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan, will address the shortcomings of the sanction list system and propose mechanisms to review cases of individuals who claim to have been wrongly placed on these lists. We also support further efforts to include human rights considerations and expertise in the work of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee.

One issue which I know, Mme High Commissioner, has been put to your attention is the expulsion of two Egyptian citizens from Sweden to Egypt in December 2001. Let me first recall that Sweden, like all other UN member states, are under the obligation to abide by Security Council resolution 1373 to prevent that states become safe havens for terrorists or those who assist them and that refugee status is not abused in this respect. Likewise, we are under the obligation under the UN Convention against Torture not to expel, return or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.

The expulsion to Egypt was based on assurances by the Egyptian Government regarding the treatment of the two men, including the assurance that they would not be subjected to torture or other inhuman treatment. There were no substantial grounds for believing that they would be subjected to torture.

The assurances have been followed up by more than 25 prison visits by Swedish diplomats.

Allegations have been made that the two men were exposed to torture and ill-treatment during interrogation while in detention in the first weeks following their return to Egypt. Several international human rights organs, including the UN Committee against Torture, are now scrutinizing the case.

The Swedish Government has requested the Egyptian Government that a thorough and independent inquiry, including international experts, is carried out regarding these allegations. We have still not received a satisfying response to our request. The Swedish Government would welcome further efforts by the UN system to investigate the matter and stands ready to fully co-operate in such endeavors.

I also welcome the work now carried out by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Mr. Theo van Boven, on the use of diplomatic assurances and on the need to safeguard that these are meaningful and verifiable.

The Swedish Government stands by its commitment and obligation under Swedish and international law not to expel, return or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture. The experiences from the case of the two Egyptian citizens show how carefully such cases must be examined before a decision is made.

I hope that our seminar today will provide ideas on how we can further contribute to what is a major challenge of today: How to secure that the fundamental rules of state behavior, negotiated and agreed upon over the last 56 years, are upheld in times of new and horrifying threats? How to combine effective law enforcement with a strong commitment to human rights and the rule of law?

To quote the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan:

"There is no trade-off to be made between human rights and terrorism. Upholding human rights is not at odds with battling terrorism: on the contrary, the moral vision of human rights - the deep respect for the dignity of each person - is among our most powerful weapons against it. To compromise on the protection of human rights would hand terrorists a victory they cannot achieve on their own. The promotion and protection of human rights, as well as the strict observance of international humanitarian law, should, therefore, be at the centre of anti-terrorism strategies."

I am now pleased to give the floor to the High Commissioner and after her to Dan Eliasson, who will present some of our challenges at the national level and in our EU work to strengthen our ability to provide security while respecting human rights and the rule of law. After that, we will open the floor for questions and comments.

Thank you.