ISSN 0804-709X
www.norwaves.com
ATTN: PRESSE- OG KULTURKONTORET
THE ROYAL MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Press Division, Oslo
NORWAY DAILY NO. 81-85/94 OeW/KJ
DATE: 28 April 1994
TWO DIFFERENT EU'S ON THE BLOCK (Aftenposten)
Yesterday's EU debate in the Storting was an encounter between two
totally different perceptions of reality. While Labour advocates
of EU membership characterized the EU as a management tool,
opponents within the same party charged that it was an institution
for pursuing and implementing purely Conservative policies.
Advocates responded with their habitual request that the anti-
accesionists present their alternative to membership of the EU.
The two sides were as firmly entrenched as ever. Prime Minister
Gro Harlem Brundtland, in yesterday's opening speech, emphasized
that EU teamwork is an essential prerequisite for national control
in areas in which the institutions of nation-states are
inadequate. "Our autonomy is weakened by the fact that our tools
of government only apply on Norwegian territory. This is our
major democratic dilemma," she said. The Prime Minister made a
point of the fact that it is the national parliaments of the
member states that give the EU its legitimacy, stressing that the
EU cannot overstep the authority accorded to it by the national
governments. Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen's acceptance of
the fiscal policy guidelines of his EU counterparts was a central
issue in yesterday's debate. Opponents of membership repeatedly
expressed their dismay that a social democratic government could
vouch for what they viewed as unbridled market liberalism, lower
wages and compromising of workers' rights. "There is plenty here
that my finance minister would not have written. But the point is
that the next time a document of this kind is issued, our finance
minister will be involved in its drafting," she declared. Despite
the fact that the two sides on the EU issue could hardly agree on
anything, they both dwelled on the overriding aspects of the Union
and Norwegian membership. Norway's chief negotiator, Ambassador
Eivinn Berg, pointed out that although the actual subject of the
debate was supposed to be the Minister of Trade and Shipping's
statement on the results of the negotiations, there were few who
actually mentioned any of the details of these results.
BRUNDTLAND HAS LOST FAITH IN THE EEA (Dagbladet)
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland admitted yesterday that the
EEA Agreement will not be worth much if the other applicant
countries join the Union and Norway stays out. In that case, the
EEA will consist of 15 EU countries and 3 EFTA countries. "It's
risky for the Prime Minister to undermine the EEA Agreement, which
in all likelihood is part of the platform upon which she will
continue to govern if the people vote No in the referendum," says
Norway's foremost champion of the EEA, Kjell Magne Bondevik (Chr.Dem.).
BANK EXECUTIVES POSITIVE TO LABOUR PROPOSAL (Aftenposten)
The Government proposes to sell part of its equities in Den norske
Bank and the Kreditkassen bank, bringing its ownership share down
to 50 per cent by 1997. It proposes full privatization of Fokus
Bank. These is the main gist of the Government's Report on Bank
Structure to be submitted to the Storting in a few days' time.
The comments of the chief executives of these state-owned
commercial banks have been generally favourable. Reduction of the
state's ownership role, as the Government now suggests, is a
natural step, and about what they were expecting sooner or later.
WORTH NOTING:
- Falling oil revenues prompt the Government to raise petrol taxes
and cut costly labour market measures.
- Strikes in the construction industry starting on Friday, and in
the newspaper and transport industry on Saturday, may be in store
if the arbitration is not successful.
- The Lillehammer Winter Olympics have given Norwegian nationalism
a boost. Everything Norwegian is glorified more than ever, while
attitudes towards other lands and cultures have become
considerably more negative and biased.
- According to an opinion survey, a large majority in Oslo favours
membership of the EU. Forty-four per cent say Yes, 27 per cent say
No and 29 per cent are undecided.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
As the ministers successively presented the results of the
negotiations, the Storting debate on our form of association with
the EU changed character. Hopefully, their detailed statements
and, for that matter, the objections of their critics, will give
most people a better understanding of the outcome of the
negotiations. Contrary to appearances, there are many doubters who
think what we have in fact achieved is extremely important. But
it would not be completely truthful to say that the belligerents
came any closer to each other. Their descriptions of the
realities were every bit as contradictory yesterday as they were
at the beginning of the debate the day before. We received
renewed confirmation that the opponents of membership do not see
the necessity of presenting an alternative to membership of the
EU. According to Centre Party parliamentary leader Johan J.
Jakobsen, "the alternative to joining the Union is to remain
outside the Union". In other words, he disagrees with the Prime
Minister's statement that "both a Yes and a No vote entail
consequences". In doing so, he illustrates the difficulty of
conducting a debate which should identify the demands, challenges
and opportunities confronting us in a changing Europe and
Scandinavia. The fact of the matter is that we are at a
crossroads regardless of what we decide on this issue, as the
Prime Minister tried in vain to get her opponents to see
yesterday. A vote against membership is not necessarily a vote in
favour of the status quo. Norway will find itself in a new
.[|situation if everyone else, including our neighbours, opt for
cooperation while we stay out. (Aftenposten)
DATE: 29 April 1994
ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS CONCLUDED IN MOSCOW (Aftenposten)
Russia and Norway have intensified their efforts to combat oil
pollution in the Barents Sea. During Minister of the Environment
Thorbjoern Berntsen's visit to Moscow, the two countries agreed to
provide real assistance to each other if any such incidents should
occur. The agreement may signify a reinforcement of oil pollution
contingency programmes in northern waters, and it may take on
significance in concrete terms for the environment in northern
regions if the Russians start drilling for oil in the Barents Sea
on a large scale. A number of Norwegian experts will visit
northern Russia next year to inform and advise the Russians on
energy conservation and treatment of discharges. The agreement
targets a selection of 180 Russian enterprises.
NUCLEAR WASTE HEADED FOR HIMDALEN (Nationen)
Despite the fierce criticism directed at Minister of Industry and
Energy Jens Stoltenberg, the Storting decided yesterday in a 71 to
57 vote to build a combined storage and disposal facility for low
and intermediate level radioactive waste in Himdalen in Akershus
county. In addition to the entire Labour vote, 13 Conservatives
and 3 Progress representatives voted for the Government's proposal.
NORWEGIAN PARTICIPATION IN PHASE THREE (Dagens Naeringsliv)
Norway has undertaken to participate in the EU's third phase of
economic and monetary union, which aims to implement a common
currency and a common central bank, provided that our most
important trade partners also participate and that we are not hit
by a severe and lasting fall in the price of oil. According to
Foreign Minister Bjoern Tore Godal, this is the Norwegian position
on a transition to the third phase. Mr. Godal clarified this
matter at the end of the EU debate in the Storting. According to
Mr. Godal, the political reality of the situation is that no
country will be forced to take part in this phase of cooperation
against its will.
BRUNDTLAND DEDICATES ZEEPIPE GAS PIPELINE (NTB)
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and her Belgian counterpart
Jean-Luc Dehaene will dedicate the Zeepipe pipeline, the world's
longest subsea pipeline, today. The 810 km long gas pipeline
constitutes the first phase of the extensive Troll agreement. The
Zeepipe project is the biggest investment ever made in gas
resource development. The pipeline is capable of transporting
12.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year, and according to plan,
it should ensure supplies of Norwegian natural gas to the
Continent for the next three decades.
GENERAL SATISFACTION WITH PUBLIC SERVICES (Aftenposten)
One-third of the people of Norway are very satisfied with public
services, according to the first major user survey conducted here
in Norway. Only 11 per cent are dissatisfied. The municipalities
may now use Gallup polls to find out if they are doing a good
enough job. Municipal governments have formerly had only
assumptions to go by, but now they may go out and ask residents
directly what they think.
ROYAL PRAISE OF NATO (Aftenposten)
King Harald emphasized in glowing terms the significance NATO has
had and will continue to have in maintaining peace and stability,
in his address to the military leadership of the Alliance
yesterday. "Even though the Alliance has adjusted to the new era,
it must adhere to its principal objective, which is to guarantee
the security of the member countries," said the King.
WORTH NOTING:
- Reducing allocations to the Olympic re-use fund is out of the
question. NOK 220 million has been allocated for distribution so
far, with plans for a further NOK 200 million.
- Minister of Transport and Communications Kjell Opseth is
dismayed by the barrage of criticism from the Norwegian Federation
of Trade Unions against his proposal to convert Norwegian Telecom
to a limited company.
- Unemployment is dropping. There are 8907 fewer Norwegians out
of work now than in April last year. 174,444 persons are
currently without ordinary employment.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
The budget deficit has gone from bad to worse this year, mostly
because the price of oil is lower than the Government prognosis.
In the Revised National Budget, the Minister of Finance is trying
to weigh up for the shortfall. The question is - how? By
increasing revenues, cutting expenditures, or both? A combination
of both appears to be the Finance Minister's answer. Higher
petrol taxes have been suggested for raising revenues, and on the
expenditure side, falling unemployment rates permit curtailing of
labour market measures, which are not really cutbacks, just
automatic budgetary adjustments. We will thus be just as far from
a balanced budget as we were at the beginning of the year. The
deficit will still be at a record level, in spite of the fact that
overall government revenues are higher than ever before. Will it
then be good politics to push them even higher? The answer should
be No. This trend cannot continue without impairing the ability
of the private sector to generate new growth and the ability of
the people to solve their own problems. The argument that people
can afford to pay higher petrol taxes when the price of oil goes
down doesn't hold. According to this rationale, when prices go up
the taxes should go down again. Nothing could be further from the
Finance Minister's mind. (Aftenposten)
DATE: 2 May 1994
EU DOMINATING ISSUE (Aftenposten)
Views on membership of the EU were much in evidence as May Day was
observed around the country yesterday. "Our national autonomy is
not sufficient to assure Norway's future," was Prime Minister Gro
Harlem Brundtland's message. She also mentioned the former
Yugoslavia. "This is an illustration of how narrow-minded
nationalism can be mankind's worst enemy," she said. Foreign
Minister Bjoern Tore Godal said that a Yes to EU membership is in
keeping with the best traditions of the Norwegian labour movement.
Yet he also said he understood the position of Labour supporters
who found the issue difficult. "The Labour Party celebrates this
day on an optimistic note," said Labour chairman Thorbjoern
Jagland. "Years of fortitude and a steady course have paid off.
There is no longer much criticism of our policies to be heard. It
is as if our political opponents are hoping no one will remember
their criticism so that they themselves can also receive some of
the credit for the results we have achieved," he said. Minister
of Fisheries Jan Henry T. Olsen disappointed his audience, who had
hoped he would make some mention of the fisheries agreement with
the EU in his May Day address. His speech was 100 per cent fish-
free, and the EU was only mentioned in passing. Centre Party
chairman Anne Enger Lahnstein's speech was heavily coloured by
attacks on the Labour Party leadership. She said the Labour Party
had chosen the wrong side in the conflict between labour and
capital. "The Labour Party has always sided with the workers in
the struggle between labour and capital, but now, the leaders of
the Labour Party have taken the other side. You can't just simply
say that market liberalism is everywhere. It is, but someone has
to resist it," said Ms. Lahnstein. She was interrupted ten times
by applause in the anti-accessionist county of Sogn og Fjordane.
EU flags waving together with red flags in Oslo enraged opponents
of accession. The EU battle has definitively begun.
EASTERN EUROPE MUST BE BROUGHT INTO THE EU SOON
(Arbeiderbladet/Saturday edition)
Labour wants the EU to enlarge to the east as quickly as possible.
Once in the EU, the Labour Party will put the emphasis on
integrating job-creation efforts into the plans for monetary and
exchange rate policies, according to the draft programme for
social democratic policies in Europe. "If Norway stays out,
though, there is the risk that the balance of efforts will
concentrate on Central Europe," said Labour chairman Thorbjoern
Jagland. The draft programme will be dealt with at the
extraordinary national convention in June.
NEW HOPE FOR PEACE IN BOSNIA (Aftenposten/Saturday edition)
A sharply-worded Russian message was issued to the warring
factions in Bosnia: "Our role is to get them out of the chaos they
have created for themselves. If the peace process fails, it's
their own fiasco." This statement was made by Deputy Foreign
Minister Vitaliy Churkin, who met Thorvald Stoltenberg and his EU
counterpart Lord David Owen in Oslo on Friday to discuss further
peace efforts.
DILEMMA FOR NORWEGIAN OIL POLICY (Arbeiderbladet/Saturday edition)
Membership of the EU would lead to a fundamental change in
Norwegian oil policy. Norwegian petroleum legislation and EU
market liberalism pull in two different directions, according to
the authors of a report called "Norsk olje i EU-maskineriet"
(Norwegian Oil in the EU Machinery) made public by "No to the EU"
yesterday. The report states that as a member of the EU, Norway
would not be able to cooperate with other countries to raise oil
prices. Minister of Industry and Energy Jens Stoltenberg points
out that Norway has never been involved in price-collaboration
efforts with OPEC.
WORTH NOTING:
- Yasser Arafat has asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Bjoern Tore
Godal to travel by way of Tunisia so that they can fly to Cairo
together to sign the peace agreement.
- The Labour Party will work for more majority decisions and less
use of vetos in the Council of the European Union if Norway
becomes a member.
- UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali arrived in Norway
yesterday on his first visit since becoming Secretary-General of
the UN. "I express my thanks for the Norwegian contribution to the
UN peace-keeping operations".
- Excess payment of unemployment benefits has been found to be a
widespread problem. Overpayments have been as high as NOK 150,000.
- Wideroee Airlines have started regular services between Kirkenes
and Murmansk.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
May Day has traditionally been a day for demonstrating
international unity and solidarity across national borders.
Yesterday's events, however, were completely dominated by
opponents of Norwegian membership of the European Union all over
the country. Labour Party leaders and ministers found themselves
speaking at gatherings at which massive opposition to the messages
they themselves presented was expressed. Fears of a repetition of
the split experienced by the Labour Party after the EC campaign in
1972 play a major role in determining strategy and tactics. These
fears are keenly felt in the Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions.
Federation chairman Yngve Haagensen will not say a single word
about his views on the membership issue. "We must prevent the
same thing from happening again," he underscored.
Notwithstanding, it is rather unnatural, to say the least, that
the chairman of the Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions declines
to express his views on an issue of such importance to the
organization which he leads. It is difficult to see the
connection between leaders who decline to take a stand and the
democratic process. (Aftenposten)
DATE: 3 May 1994
UNIONS REDUCE OWNERSHIP IN LABOUR NEWSPAPERS (Arbeiderbladet)
The direct affiliation between the Labour Party and the labour
press will be terminated, and the Norwegian Federation of Trade
Unions will gradually reduce its ownership share in A-Pressen (the
parent company of the labour newspapers) by January 1999. The
organizational break between the 32 labour newspapers and the
Labour Party does not entail any immediate change in course for
the publications. A-Press newspapers will still champion the
ideals of the labour movement.
A STRONGER SCANDINAVIA WITHIN THE EU (Aftenposten)
Nordic cooperation will be strengthened if the applicant countries
join the EU together, in the view of Minister of Trade and
Shipping Grete Knudsen. "If the Nordic countries each go their
own ways in their cooperation with the EU, we may find new
divisions growing up between us. Nordic cooperation could then
lose some of its significance," she said in an address to the
Norwegian-Swedish Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Ms. Knudsen
underscored that the right to continue and further develop Nordic
cooperation within the bounds of union obligations is set out in a
joint declaration issued by the Nordic countries and the EU. This
means that all Nordic cooperation in all areas subject to EU
jurisdiction will take place in an EU context.
GREATER SECURITY FOR NORWAY WITHIN THE EU (Nationen/NTB)
The Western European Union will be strengthened regardless of our
position. NATO is in a process of change, and Norwegian
participation in the European Union is definitely in the interests
of Norwegian security policy. This was the conclusion drawn by
former prime minister Kaare Willoch at a press conference
yesterday. "We do not take a stand on the issue of Norwegian
membership of the EU with the intent of solving problems in 1994.
Yet it would be foolish to dismiss the possibility that Norway's
security might be threatened sometime within the next few
decades," said Mr. Willoch.
NORWEGIAN MINKE WHALE STATISTICS INACCURATE (Aftenposten)
The number of minke whales in the northeast Atlantic should be
adjusted from 87,000 to approximately 50,000, in the view of a
member of the IWC's Scientific Committee. "After having recently
obtained new background material from the Norwegian research
expeditions, I feel there is room for serious doubt concerning the
basis of calculations for estimating the size of whale stocks. I
disagree strongly with a number of the interpretations made by the
Norwegians on the basis of their observations," says British
Justin Cooke. The methods employed by the Norwegian scientists to
obtain their results have long been in dispute. "Still, it is
important to remember that these calculations have been accepted
by a unanimous IWC Scientific Committee," Prof. Lars Walloee, head
of the Norwegian delegation to the Scientific Committee, points out.
STATOIL PROFITS DOWN (Arbeiderbladet)
Falling oil prices have taken a big bite out of Statoil's
revenues. Thanks to production increases and improvements in
other areas, Statoil still showed a surplus of NOK 1.1 billion in
the first quarter. First quarter profits, after subtracting NOK
2.7 billion in taxes, are NOK 100 million lower than last year.
FULL SPLIT UNDER WAY (Verdens Gang)
The Progress Party is headed straight for a complete schism which
may lead to the founding of a new political party. The last three
members of the controversial "band of four" will leave the
Progress Party today. These three Storting representatives are
unwilling to vote contrary to their convictions, a situation they
could easily find themselves in over a Bill concerning
compensation to victims of violence. The Government's proposal is
to treat cohabiters the same as spouses. The Progress Party's
majority is against equal treatment, but these four want to give
cohabiters equal rights.
TODAY' COMMENT:
Does the EU have anything to do with Norway's future security? So
far, many have answered this question in the negative,
particularly those who see the answer to all questions regarding
the future in a rejection of EU membership. They point out that
Norway's participation in NATO and the military security guarantee
the Alliance represents will continue as before. Other opponents
claim that as a member of the EU, we will have to send Norwegian
soldiers on military operations to back up neo-imperialistic
ambitions around the world. However, the future is not as
uncomplicated as a simple rejection. EU foreign and security
policy will be framed not only on the basis of the vague
formulations of the Maastricht Treaty, but even more on the basis
of the national interests which the members of the EU wish to
protect. No matter how the EU formulates and implements its
foreign and security policy, it will affect Norway. What is at
risk is that if Finland and Sweden join the Union and Norway
doesn't, the framework for Norwegian security will be laid in
every capital but Oslo. Our "independent" foreign policy will
then be mostly a result of decisions made by others. Norway has a
security policy identity to maintain. We have a tradition of
participating in the fora in which Europe's future is devised.
Membership of the Union is our best way of safeguarding our
national interests. (Dagbladet/Aftenposten)
DATE: 4 May 1994
NORWAY PUBLICITY IN NORTH AFRICA (NTB)
PLO chairman Yasser Arafat was given a reception generally
accorded heads of state when he arrived at Cairo Airport Tuesday
evening together with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bjoern Tore
Godal aboard the Braathen aircraft "Haakon Haakonsson". Mr.
Arafat had contacted the Norwegian authorities himself to hitch a
ride with Foreign Minister Godal from Tunis to Cairo. Foreign
Minister Godal would not completely discount the marketing and
publicity value of this trip for Norway.
POLICE FORCE READY (NTB)
Norway is coordinating efforts in the committee of donors as well
as in the Coordinating Committee for International Assistance to a
Palestinian Police Force (COPP). Police Chief Arnstein Oeverkil
of the Asker og Baerum Police Department will be Mr. Arafat's
closest adviser in all police-related matters for the next few
months. "This is where the effort to secure peace really begins.
The PLO is a liberation organization that will be assuming a
number of civilian responsibilities," says Foreign Minister Godal.
NO TO CSCE FORCE (Klassekampen)
Norway should not contribute troops to a peacekeeping operation
being planned by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in
Europe (CSCE) in Nagorno-Karabakh. "The Ministry of Defence
explains this refusal on the grounds that Norway should now keep
its peacekeeping forces concentrated and not spread them any more
than absolutely necessary. We feel that the financial resources
allocated to these activities are best utilized in this way," says
assistant press spokeswoman Kirsti Skjerven. This recommendation
is so recent that the Foreign Ministry has not yet had time to
take a stand on it, according to Foreign Ministry press spokesman
Ingvard Havnen.
PAST THE POINT OF NO RETURN (Arbeiderbladet)
A new political constellation arose in the Storting yesterday
morning. In the process, the Progress Party's Storting group was
reduced from ten to six representatives. "The political leeway
within the Progress Party is now so restricted that all internal
dissent is nearly smothered," the last three breakaways write in
their letter informing the party of their departure. "This is a
big relief, and I think I share this feeling with the others left
in the party group," says Progress Party chairman Carl I. Hagen.
STATOIL SALE COULD NET NOK 70-80 BILLION (Dagens Naeringsliv)
Sigbjoern Johnsen would be able to funnel between NOK 70 and 80
billion straight into the national treasury by privatizing Statoil
altogether. To extract the same amount out of the taxpayers, he
would have to take between NOK 15,000 and NOK 19,000 from each
Norwegian taxpayer. Full privatization of Statoil is highly
unlikely. The option most discussed is a 20 per cent
privatization of the state oil company.
NORWEGIAN-INDIAN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION INITIATIVE (Aftenposten)
Development Cooperation Minister Kari Nordheim-Larsen is now in
India to take a closer look at NORAD's new model for industrial
involvement in development aid to India, which is now being
reorganized. Norwegian enterprises receive assistance from NORAD
to invest in a huge market, actively stimulating an expansion in
industrial cooperation. One new NORAD project, informally known
as "The Matchmaker", is designed to bring Norwegian and Indian
enterprises together in various forms of cooperation and
association. The target group for this "matchmaking" effort
consists of small and medium-sized enterprises.
"THAT'S OLD NEWS, ASPENGREN" (Dagbladet)
"The Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions and the Labour Party
must split up. This special affiliation with the Labour Party has
made large segments of workers difficult for the Federation to
reach," says former Federation chairman Tor Aspengren. "What Mr.
Aspengren says is nothing new. We are quite familiar with these
ideas, and are involved in a debate on how to strengthen the
Federation's position," says Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions
Information Secretary Oeyvind T. Hansen.
WORTH NOTING:
- A majority of the Socialist Left Storting group would like the
party to support the call for a vote of no confidence against
Sigbjoern Johnsen in connection with the Moland affair. This
means the Centre Party holds the key to the Brundtland
Government's fate in the Storting.
- "Free and fair" is the verdict of the Norwegian Storting
representatives on the election in South Africa.
- UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali visited the grave of
his predecessor Trygve Lie yesterday at the Grorud Cemetery.
- The amount of narcotics seized by customs officials in Oslo so
far this year is just as much as in all of 1993, and twice as much
as in 1992.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
Less than 20 years after Carl I. Hagen broke away from Anders
Lange's Party, the splitup of the Progress Party is an
accomplished fact. Four Storting representatives now find they
can no longer carry on in a one-man show in which the party
programme is subject to the arbitrariness of the chairman's
priorities. Having said this, one must hasten to add that the
comparison is not perfect. Mr. Hagen left a protest movement that
had no programme and that moreover was organized with the express
stipulation that the chairman's word was law. The unanswered
question now is whether the opposition counts sufficient numbers
to form a new liberal political party. In any case, Mr. Hagen has
no reason to breathe a sigh of relief. (Aftenposten)
.