Norwegian diplomat steps down over Epstein ties, in widening scandal

Norwegian diplomat steps down over Epstein ties, in widening scandal

Norwegian Diplomat's Resignation

By Nora Buli

Background of Mona Juul

OSLO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Norway's foreign ministry on Sunday said a prominent ambassador, Mona Juul, would step down due to a "serious failure of judgement" over ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, part of a growing scandal in the Nordic country and across Europe.

Impact on International Relations

The ministry earlier this week suspended Juul from her position as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq pending an internal inquiry of links to Epstein found in a massive set of files released by the United States government.

Responses from Officials

"Juul's contact with convicted sex offender Epstein has shown a serious failure of judgment. The case makes it difficult to rebuild the trust that the role requires," Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

Juul, 66, a former junior government minister, previously represented Norway as ambassador to Israel, Britain and at the United Nations.

KEY PLAYER IN ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN OSLO ACCORDS

In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, quit on Sunday, saying he took responsibility for advising Starmer to name Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. despite his known links to Epstein.

A lawyer representing Juul said she had voluntarily stepped down as the current situation made it impossible for her to carry out her work.

"Mona Juul will continue to cooperate fully with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help ensure that all relevant facts in the matter come to light," her lawyer Thomas Skjelbred said in a statement.

The foreign ministry said it had also initiated a review of its former grants to the International Peace Institute (IPI), a New York think tank headed by Juul's husband Terje Roed-Larsen until 2020.

Roed-Larsen, 78, who briefly served as a cabinet minister in 1996 under then-Prime Minister Thorbjoern Jagland, has several times apologised for his connection to Epstein.

"The National Audit Office has already investigated this several years ago, but Terje Roed-Larsen naturally has no objections to this being done again," his lawyer John Christian Elden said in a statement.

IPI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Juul and Roed-Larsen rose to prominence as part of a small group of diplomats facilitating the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords, seen at the time as a breakthrough in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, although peace remained elusive.

Several other prominent Norwegians also had links to Epstein, including Crown Princess Mette-Marit who on Friday apologised again in a statement issued by the palace, notably to the king and queen.

(Reporting by Nora Buli, editing by Terje Solsvik and Ros Russell)