OSLO, Aug 8, 2006 (AFP) - Israeli authorities on Tuesday stopped a Norwegian delegation from entering Gaza on security grounds, Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen said on Tuesday.
'We were simply told the situation (in Gaza) was too dangerous,' Johansen, who was leading the delegation, told AFP by telephone.
He ruled out that the move could have been deliberate on the part of Israel to prevent the visit to an industrial area and a power station in Gaza.
'I have no reason to believe that,' he said.
The eight-member delegation returned to Jerusalem, and will try to enter the region again on Thursday, Johansen said.
Norway, broker of the now-defunct 1993 Oslo peace accords, is continuing with diplomatic efforts to reach a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.