Erik Solheim (born January 18, 1955 in Oslo) is a Norwegian politician and the leader of the Socialist Left Party from 1987 to 1997. He was the leader of Socialist Youth 1977-1980 and party secretary of the Socialist Left Party 1985-1987. He served as member of parliament from 1989 to 2001. Through the 1990's Solheim became one of the most prominent figures in Norwegian politics, and lead his party through a period of rising popularity. In later years he has received criticism from some old party colleagues for moderating his views on the EU and becoming a supporter of Norway's membership in NATO. January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... County Oslo NO-03 Landscape Viken Municipality NO-0301 Administrative centre Oslo Mayor (2004) Per Ditlev-Simonsen (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 224 454 km² 426 km² 0. ... The Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti or SV), is a Norwegian political party founded in 1975. ... Sosialistisk Ungdom (Socialist Youth) is the youth league of the Socialist Left Party of Norway. ... The Storting main building The Storting, or Stortinget, (the Great Assembly), is the parliament of Norway, and is located in Oslo. ... The NATO flag NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4...

From the spring of 2000 he was granted a leave of absence from parliament to serve as special advisor to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka. He has since been one of the most recognizable figures in the peace negotations between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. Historical background “The right is more precious than peace. ...

On October 17th, 2005, he could continue his engagement with international affairs when he was appointed Minister of International Development, in the cabinet of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Jens Stoltenberg (left) with NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, in 2001 Jens Stoltenberg (born March 16, 1959) is a Norwegian politician and economist, and the current leader of the Norwegian Labour Party. ...