Lögberg-Heimskringla - 06.12.2002, Blaðsíða 1

Lögberg
Lögberg stofnað 14. janúar 1888
Heimskringla stofnað 9. september 1886
Sameinuð 20. ágúst 1959
Heimskringla
The Icelandic Weekly
www.logberg.com
PAP Registration no. 08000
Agreement no. 1402161
116th year /116. Árgangur ISSN 0047-4967
President of Iceland Opens Exhibit in St. Paul
Steingrimur Steinolfson
Bloomington, MN
" he Vikingsare back! On
I November 23, 2002 the
Smithsonian Exhibition
Vikings: The North Atlantic
Saga opened at the
Science Museum of
Minnesota. The touring
exhibition has been seen
by millions and contains
300 objects gathered from
Museums around the
world.
The exhibition covers
the period of Leifur
Eiríksson's arrival at current
day Newfoundland at the
turn of the century (1,000
that is) until their depar-
ture.
It is such a wonderful
exhibition! The bad news is
this is the FINAL stop for the
exhibition before the
objects are returned to
their respective countries.
The good news is the exhi-
bition runs until May 18,
2003. I urge all who read
this to make every effort to
see it. Do not miss the
opportunity to see the
Jónsbók and the other 299
or so objects. Never again
will you get an opportunity
like this.
His Excellency, Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson,
President of lceland and
St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly
op.ened the Exhibition.
President Grímsson gave
the following speech at
the lcelandic reception
after the opening. I tran-
scribed it from the video I
took.
Dr. Örn Arnar, Honourary Consul General of Iceland and President of Iceland Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson
Ithank all of you for being splendid occasion to see so Icelandic descent and friends
here today, it is really a many Icelanders and people of of Iceland gathered here .
Please see President on page 4
A Gift from Iceland
Kornelíus Sigmundsson the New Consul General
Kornelíus Sigmundsson (right) the New Consul
General, and Anna Soffía Hauksdóttir speak with
Gunnvör Ásmundsson.
In mid-November Kornelíus
Sigmundsson and his wife
Anna Soffía Hauksdóttir, visit-
ed Winnipeg and the Interlake
region, an introductory tour
before he takes up residency on
the 4th of January 2003 at
Wellington One to serve as the
Consul General for the
Icelandic government.
This is Kornelíus' fifth visit
to the area. A career diplomat,
he has travelled to all conti-
nents but Australia, has visited
all but two of the Canadian
provinces — Prince Edward
Island and New Brunswick,
and forty-eight of the fifty
states — all but North Dakota
and Hawaii.
Kornelíus has been in the
foreign service for twenty-nine
years. For four of those he was
in Geneva, representing
Iceland on a number of interna-
tional organizations, such as
the European Free Trade
Association (EFTA) and the
General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade (GATT). He said
Iceland "basically tries to cover
the whole area."
While in New York for
eleven years, he was Consul
General in New York, and th'en
represented Iceland at the
United Nations. He described
that as a "very rewarding expe-
rience." He enjoyed "working
with the people of 185
nations." Iceland has a small
delegation in New York, and so
he "would serve on several
committees at one time. I was
very rarely sitting anywhere. I
was always on the move."
Kornelíus was also in
Helsinki for four years, and
was the Secretary General for
the President of Iceland for
eight years. He travelled to
Canada with both presidents,
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir and Óla-
fur Ragnar Grímsson.
He describes his new post
as "a big challenge." Able to
create his own agenda, he said
that he would be "building on
the work of Svavar and Eiður."
He remarked that we "staited
something big in the year
2000." And he sees things get-
ting better.
He is looking forward to
working with the people in
North Dakota. He said that
"they have been neglected for
the longest time. Since 2000
they have been brought into the
mainstream." And he com-
mented that it is "rewarding 'to
sense the awakening taking
place in Icelandic communities
all over North America."
Both Komelíus and Anna
Soffía were bom in Reykjavík,
and their grandparents are from
elsewhere in the country.
Between them they have five
children, three in Reykjavík,
one in London, and one in
Seattle, WA. Komelíus said
that it was a coincidence that
Please see A Gift on page 9
Creating Community • Sköpum Samfélag