But almost no diplomats are eager for the tough posts, so the Foreign Ministry has decided to make these less comfortable positions more palatable, in an effort to attract the best applicants.
The Foreign Ministry feels that many of the undesirable posts are actually more important than the more prestigious ones, and wants to reward those who take on such challenges better, writes Norwegian daily newspaper Aftenposten.
"We are going to put into place a number of means to make these postings more attractive," department head Anne Lund told Aftenposten.
The proposals include making the length of stay shorter and the salary bigger.
The idea to recruit the best diplomats to the so-called worst places originated from the US, writes Aftenposten, where Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that diplomats could not expect promotions if they were unwilling to be sent to dangerous countries.
Many of the American diplomats are reportedly outraged by the idea that they might have to serve in Bagdad, writes the paper.
As for the Norwegians, Lund said there are no plans to force anyone to go to Kabul or other regions of turmoil.
"This will have to be on a voluntary basis," she said.
