Former Icelandic president calls foreign ministry a propaganda department

Former Icelandic president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson has accused Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs of acting as a “propaganda department” in the debate over the country’s possible European Union membership, mbl.is reports.

The comments came during an interview on the Spursmál programme, while discussing the estimated cost of Iceland joining the EU. Grímsson said Iceland would pay considerably more than the sums cited by the foreign minister.

“The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, unfortunately one has to say, has simply become a propaganda department in this struggle,” Grímsson said.

Asked whether he was referring specifically to Iceland’s foreign ministry, he replied: “Yes, it has simply become a propaganda department. There is no independent evaluator in these matters.”

Grímsson referred to analyses by Gunnar Pálsson, a former ambassador to the EU and NATO, and Albert Jónsson, a former ambassador to Washington. He said both had addressed the issue in a substantive and detailed manner.

When told that his remarks were strong, Grímsson replied: “But unfortunately, that is simply how it is.”