6 Extract From the Answer Given by His Excellency Hagerup to the Preceeding Draft, on November 26, 1904
2. No approval on the part of Norway can be expected for an arrangement that would give Swedish authorities the possibility of interfering with measures taken by a Norwegian authority. Also in this respect we merely adhere to the Communiqué and the Protocols of December that, as a basis of agreement, give prominence to the establishment of a separate Consular service for Sweden and for Norway, in which case »the Consuls of each Kingdom shall be subordinate to the authority of their own country which the latter shall have to determine.» This arrangement does not however preclude, as is also presupposed in the Norwegian draft, a certain possibility for the Foreign Minister to address direct requests to the consuls.
With particular regard to the demand expressed in the »outlines» that the Swedish Minister for Foreign affairs shall have the right — this is the, intention according to your Excellency’s verbal declaration — to discharge in ministerial — consequently in Swedish — Cabinet Council a consul appointed in Norwegian Council, I ventured to point out 1) that this demand was entirely contrary to the Norwegian Constitution, 2) that an arrangement by which a Swedish authority of state might nullify a resolution adopted by a Norwegian authority of state would, according to the general principles of political and international law, impress upon Norway the stamp of a dependency, and 3) that it would therefore from a national point of view signify an enormous retrograde step as compared with the present arrangement of the Consular service.