During these secret negotiations, Norway's role as a facilitator and communicator was very important. Norway provided the parties with a back channel, and as Hirshfeld states, "we could not have started without any one to help us" (1994b). Norway offered facilitation without attempting to mediate, the Norwegians never took part in the negotiations (except during the meeting in Stockholm and during the talks on mutual recognition). Furthermore, the Norwegians provided a" political relevance" the initial stages of negotiation, allaying the Palestinian negotiators' concern about the political authority of the unofficial lsraeli negotiators (i.e. Hirshfeld and Pundik).