ISSN 0804-709X
www.norwaves.com
NORINFORM - Weekly Edition
Produced by NORINFORM, Norwegian Information Service,
P.O. Box 241 Sentrum, N-0103 Oslo, Norway
Tel (47) 22 11 46 85, Fax (47) 22 42 48 87
Editors: Ragnvald Berggrav, Helge Loland
The NORINFORM press office was established by The Norwegian
Information Council and provides overseas news services in
several languages, daily (in English only) and weekly.
NORINFORM also produces the monthly magazine Norway Now and a
fulltext database containing bulletins and articles about
Norway.
Information from Norinform is complimentary. Reproduction
permitted. Please mention source of information.
*****************************************************************************
USD 1 = NOK 7.0 No. 31 - 5 October 1993
CONTENTS:
Whale compromise with USA (1)
Norwegians top SAS pyramid (2)
Brundtland calls for international support to Mid East (3)
Visas for Bosnians (4)
Showing a high profile in Germany (5)
Sleipner opens - Troll gas for USD 100 billion (6)
North Sea record for Norwegian industry (7)
Gilt-edged agreement (8)
Exclusive museum to open in Oslo (9)
Losers' spokesmen demand justice (10)
norinform/1 5 October 1993
WHALE COMPROMISE WITH USA
Norway's government is pleased with President Clinton's decision not to
implement punitive measures against Norway - on account of its
resumption of commercial whaling - at least for thne present. The
Government is also firmly resolved to cooperate with the USA in order to
find acceptable solutions within the framework of the International
Whaling Commission (IWC). This was Prime Minister Gro Harlem
Brundtland's response to the letter which President Clinton submitted to
the US Congress on 4 October. "For our part, we are prepared to work in
good faith with the Americans in order to formulate new management
regulations when we gather for the next annual meeting of the IWC," said
Ms Brundtland. This meeting will be held in Mexico next May. In the
meantime the Norwegian Government will not make any decisions as to when
whaling will be resumed or on the size of quotas for 1994 before the IWC
has debated the issue. This procedure was also followed this season.
According to Gro Harlem Brundtland, the US President states in his
letter that the two countries disagree on the facts of the issue, but
that the letter contains an implicit recognition that Norway has not
acted illegally. She therefore believes that there are no grounds for
the USA to uphold its threat of economic sanctions, and intends to
request that the warning be withdrawn.
Minister of Fisheries Jan Henry T.Olsen is pleased that no sanctions
will be imposed at present but avoided answering questions on whether it
is already obvious that next year's hunt cannot start in April, as
planned, but must await the annual meeting of the IWC. Greenpeace
spokesman Geir Wang-Andersen said that Norway has been given a
"suspended sentence", or at any rate a clear warning.
norinform/2 5 October 1993
NORWEGIANS TOP SAS PYRAMID
After the resignation of SAS President and CEO Jan Carlzon on 27
September, three Norwegians will top the pyramid of management in the
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). The former head of SAS Norway, Jan
Reinoes (49) has taken over temporarily from Jan Carlzon at the top of
the concern. He will also act as head of the airline itself. This
position was previously held by Norwegian Kjell Fredheim. A newly
established job as second-in-command has been awarded to another
Norwegian, Gunnar Reitan, who will be responsible for the finance and
economy division. Kjell Fredheim will retain his status in top
management, but with a different area of operations, as he will now take
on SAS's long term strategy. Rein}s's successor in the position of the
head of SAS Norway will be selected shortly.
Carlzon was asked to step down as head of concern so that he could
concentrate on the negotiations in connection with the so-called Alcazar
merger between SAS, KLM, Swissair and Austrian Airlines. If the merger
goes through, SAS maintains that Carlzon will hold a management position
in Alcazar. But in the meantime SAS simply could not afford to let
Carlzon spend so much of his time on the difficult work involved.
Jan Reinoes is known as a leading expert on rationalization, but SAS is
unlikely to enjoy his expertise longer than until 1 April, when he is
due to take over as head of the wood processing concern Norske Skog, a
commitment he intends to honour.
norinform/3 5 October 1993
BRUNDTLAND CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT TO MID EAST
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly last week, Prime Minister
Gro Harlem Brundtland said that the success of the Middle East peace
process is dependent on stabilization through economic development.
Current developments in this troubled part of the world were the
starting point for Ms Brundtland's speech in which she did not omit to
mention that Norway had "enjoyed the privelege of having made a
contribution" to the recently signed accord between Israel and the PLO.
She also called upon the international community to support the
implementation of a coordinated and immediate economic peace programme,
or as she called it "investments in peace."
The Norwegian prime minister described the economic situation in the
occupied territories as "dramatic" and asked all peace-loving countries,
the United Nations, the International Monetary fund, the World Bank, the
EC and international finance institutions to work together to establish
an economic peace programme as soon as possible.
"I promise and confirm that Norway's contribution will be considerable
and that we would be honoured to continue to play a political role if
that is the wish of all parties," said Gro Harlem Brundtland.
norinform/4 5 October 1993
VISAS FOR BOSNIANS
The Norwegian Government has announced that as of 2 October it will
require visas from Bosnian refugees entering Norway, as the last country
in northern Europe to do so.
Explaining the move, Minister of Justice Grete Faremo and Minister of
Local Government and Labour Gunnar Berge, said that if the stream of
Bosnian refugees seeking asylum in Norway in recent months is allowed to
continue unchecked, an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 could be expected in
1994. In the first half of this year the influx of asylum seekers from
Bosnia Herzegovina was only 723, but in the wake of the Danish and
Swedish visa restrictions, introduced in June, the trickle grew to a
flood and 6,000 Bosnians have arrived in Norway since July.
Those who have already come to Norway from Bosnia will cost the state
USD 57 million more than was budgetted for 1993 and a further USD 140
million in 1994. Expenses will increase by a further USD 170 million if
the flow of refugees is not stemmed. A continued poilicy of open
frontiers for Bosnian refugees is too costly if it prevents Norway from
upholding its present work for the refugees in and around Bosnia itself,
said Gunnar Berge.
The Government's decision was backed up by the Conservatives, the Centre
Party and the Progress Party, but opposed by the Socialist Left and the
Christian Democrats. "This is not a money matter. It has nothing to do
with a lack of acceptable reception centres. The main goal of our
refugee policy is to direct resources to the areas where the refugees
come from," explains Gunnar Berge.
norinform/5 5 October 1993
SHOWING A HIGH PROFILE IN GERMANY
Norway will be opening its biggest ever cultural showcase abroad when
its new cultural programme is launched in Berlin in October. Several of
the artists taking part will be making their international debut in a
total of 70 arrangements which range from music, art and sculpture to
literature, film and theatre. The presentation will run to year's end.
State Secretary Jan Egeland at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that
Norway wishes to establish a clear profile in Germany. In a compact and
varied programme it will "invade" the capital city of what many consider
to be the most trend-setting country in Europe. Contact between Norway
and Germany has blossomed during recent years. The Germans are now
Norway's most important trade partners and state oil company Statoil have
started its first deliveries of gas to the Continent. Tourism, both to
and from Germany, is flourishing, as are cultural connections. Outside
Norway there is no country in the world that has shown such enthusiam
for this year's Grieg Jubilee, says Jan Egeland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also busy planning its next cultural
presentation abroad - this time in New York, in 1995. Norway has
previously held highly successful national presentations in London and
Paris. The organisers in Berlin will be the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, which will join forces with the cultural authorities in Berlin
and a number of cultural institutions in the city. Norway is investing
USD 530,000 on the presentation, considerably more than it put into the
corresponding arrangements in London and Paris. Cultural institutions in
Berlin will also be contributing generously.
norinform/6 5 October 1993
SLEIPNER OPENS - TROLL GAS FOR USD 100 BILLION
After seven years of planning and investments of NOK 120 billion, on 1
October the Troll group opened a new chapter in Norwegian offshore
history. The Sleipner field will officially start production for
delivery of gas, in accordance with the Troll agreement, to buyers in
France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Norway
will pipe nearly 1,000 billion m3 of gas to the Continent in the course
of 28 years. At current prices, this quantity is valued at USD 100
billion.
The Troll agreement,signed in 1986 is the biggest commercial contract in
the history of oil production, and involves a third of Norway's proven
gas reserves. Although the first deliveries are from Sleipner, the Troll
field will come on stream in 1996, and deliver the lion's share of Troll
gas. The agreement ensures Norway a long-term and vital role as a power
supplier to Europe. After 10 years of development, annual gas deliveries
from the Norwegian shelf will expand to nearly 45 billion cubic metres.
Early in the next century, sales of Norwegian gas will exceed sales of
oil. By comparison, oil exports amounted to four-fifths of hydrocarbon
exports last year - at about USD 14.6 billion.
The Sleipner operator Statoil, and its buyers, are relieved that
delivery deadlines have been met. When the concrete support structure
for the Sleipner platform sunk in a production accident two years ago, a
new platform had to be built at record speed. The first gas was actually
pumped through the Zeepipe to Belgium from Sleipner A on 1 September.
norinform/7 5 October 1993
NORTH SEA RECORD FOR NORWEGIAN INDUSTRY
Norsk Hydro's new North Sea oilfield, Brage, is now on stream, three
months ahead of scheduled completion date.
The Brage platform was built in record time, quicker than any other
platform so far built on Norway's continental shelf. The deck hook-up
and the final operations on the platform started on 14 June and were
completed in only three months. The final bill for both platform and
pipelines was around USD 1 billion, which is less than the original
budgetted price.
The success of the project is attributed to an all-out effort by more
than 10,000 people on land and sea and the major share of the work has
been carried out by Norwegian industry
Brage will handle 85,000 barrels of oil and 1.75 million m# of gas a
day. The gas will be brought to land in Germany via the
Statpipe/Nordpipe line.
Another of Norway's three oil companies, state owned Statoil, can soon
chalk up handsome profits on its involvements in petroleum activities
on the British shelf. For 1994 it has estimated on net profits of about
USD 20 million before tax. In addition, Statoil will soon be able to
sell gas from the British shelf to the Continent.
norinform/8 5 October 1993
GILT-EDGED AGREEMENT
The Norwegian firm SensoNor recently signed a provisional agreement with
the American firm TRW Automotive on the delivery of airbag sensors for a
preliminary period of four years. News of the agreement immediately
lifted the price of SensoNor's shares on the Oslo Bourse by 11.5 per
cent.
"It is hard to assess the value of the contract. It will depend on price
developents as well as the number of units produced. But it's important
for us to get a foot into the American market," says the company's
director, Sverre Horntvedt. SensoNor already delivers to Siemens and
Electrolux. The firm expects to produce between four and six million
sensors in 1994, compared with two million this year. TRW will receive
its first shipment in the second half of 1994.
Although a number of companies have produced prototypes for electronic
collision airbag sensors, SensoNor is currently alone on the market.
Horntvedt doubts whether any competitors will succeed in starting
production next year. The challenge is to manufacture as many of the
devices as possible - as fast and as cheaply as possible. Horntvedt
thinks that this will make it difficult for potential competitors to
catch up with SensoNor's technological and economic head start.
norinform/9 5 October 1993
EXCLUSIVE MUSEUM TO OPEN IN OSLO
A unique cultural event will take place in Oslo on 10 October, when the
new Astrup Fearnley Musum of Modern Art opens its doors. The collection
will consist of exhibits from the post war period, including major works
by English and German artists. The new institution will be almost
unique. Only Japan has a similar privately-financed museum.
The opening exhibition will consist of works by 80 artists such as
Anselm Kiefer, Roald Kitaj, Erro, Per Kirkeby, Horst Antes, Markus
Lwpertz and Jurg Immendorff. The choice is perhaps surprising, as it
includes quality art by artists relatively unknown in Norway. Kiefer
has exhibited at Oslo's Museum of Contemporary Art, though with fewer
paintings. The same applies to Kitaj. The exhibition also includes
monumental works by Scotish John Bellany.
Exhibits will be changed twice a year and travelling exhibitions from
other countries will also be given wall space. All in all the museum
will exhibit 300 works. Among the Norwegian artists who will be
represented are Arne Ekeland, Gunnar S.Gundersen, Bj|rn Carlsen, Knut
Rose, Kjell Torriset and Olav Christopher Jenssen.
The museum will be financed by a number of different funds, and the
directorship will be handed over from Olav S|rensen to Hans-Jacob Brun
when the museum is fully operative.
norinform/10 5 October 1993
LOSERS' SPOKESMEN DEMAND JUSTICE
"I hope to be the friend of the losers. If I hadn't become so involved,
who would have," says Ola Oedegaard (age 51) who mortgaged his home to
cover some of the costs of Norway's first congress for losers. Oedegaard
doesn't like the term 'loser', and had mixed feelings about using it as
a title for the conference that he arranged in Gjoevik, near Lillehammer,
last week. The congress elected him to lead a new organization, Aksjon
Rettferd, which will attempt to seek justice for some of the
unfortunates of society.
"More and more groups can be branded with the term 'loser', such as
heavy debtors or the long-term unemployed, but we've chosen to restrict
the concept. Our organization will primarily help those who have been
unjustly placed in institutions as children. Children who have been
taken from their parents because of neglect and abuse, whose childhood
was ruined, and who in one way or another have failed to receive proper
care from the welfare state," explains Oedegaard. He has first-hand
experience - in the early 1950s, a particularly difficult childhood was
made even worse when he was placed in an inhumane institution for
retarded children. Oedegaard says that he kept afloat throughout the
years of struggle against a bureaucratic social welfare sector, but
knows many who sunk. Oedegaard thinks that today's society is more
winner-oriented than in the 1950s and 60s, and that many new losers are
in the making.
While opening the congress, State Secretary Ole Jacob Frich at the
Ministry of Social Affairs said that a municipal ombudsman for 'losers'
could be one way of tackling the problem.
.