ISSN 0804-709X
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ATTN: PRESSE- OG KULTURKONTORET
THE ROYAL MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Press Division, Oslo
NORWAY DAILY NO. 86-90/94 OeW/KJ
DATE: 5 May 1994
OVERWHELMING VOTE IN FAVOUR OF NORWAY IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
(Aftenposten)
An overwhelming majority vote to admit Norway, Sweden, Finland and
Austria into the EU prompted cheers and a standing ovation in the
European Parliament. Norway was first in the lineup. Would the
many whaling opponents really manage to torpedo the Norwegian
application? All doubts were soon put to rest. 374 voted in
favour of Norwegian EU membership, only 24 voted against, and 58
abstained. "The European Parliament's decision to ratify the
Norwegian accession treaty demonstrates that Norway is welcome in
the EU," said Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland yesterday
evening. "The approval of the European Parliament means that we
may now sign the treaties. The signing ceremony will take place
on Corfu on 24 June during the meeting of the European Council.
The Prime Minister will sign on behalf of Norway," said Minister
of Trade and Shipping Grete Knudsen. According to the chairman of
the European Movement in Norway, Inge Loenning, the approval of
the European Parliament removes all doubt as to the EU's
priorities in respect of enlargement to the north. "There was
some uncertainty as to the possibility that the European
Parliament might use the issue of ratification of the treaties
with Norway and the other applicant countries as a lever to wrest
more power from the European Commission, but that didn't happen,"
says Kristen Nygaard, chairman of "No to the EU".
STATEMENT OF EU COSTS DUE AT END OF MAY (Dagbladet)
In its report to the Storting on the EU treaty, the Government
will present calculated estimates of the cost of EU membership.
"We will do our best to present the economic consequences of
membership, as well as the cost of not joining the Union. It will
not be possible to set up a detailed budget, however," said
Minister of Finance Sigbjoern Johnsen.
NORWEGIAN INVOLVEMENT NOT ENDED (Arbeiderbladet)
The Norwegian involvement in the Middle East did not come to an
end with the signing of the Oslo Agreement yesterday. Norway has
pledged NOK 250 million per year for the next five years for
reconstruction in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. "Norway carries a
great deal of responsibility for the continued progress of the
peace process, a responsibility that is not over with the signing
of a document, but which continues at the grass-roots level in the
former occupied territories. Security is absolutely essential
here," says Minister of Foreign Affairs Bjoern Tore Godal. Mr.
Godal says that signals from both Israel and the PLO indicate that
Norway will continue to play an active role as an intermediary
between the two sides. He adds, however, that Norway has no
aspirations to play this role. "The best would be if they could
manage these things on their own," he emphasized.
OWN UP OR CLEAR OUT (Nationen)
There is much to indicate that the Centre Party will support a
vote of no confidence against Minister of Finance Sigbjoern
Johnsen over the Moland affair. The party group in the Storting
is currently engaged in an internal discussion as to what steps
they will take if there is a cabinet crisis and the Centre Party
is forced to take the helm. Central sources in the Centre Party
say that the only way Mr. Johnsen can avoid a vote of no
confidence is to appear before the Storting and apologize for the
way he handled the appointment of the new central bank governor.
MAY SAVE BRUNDTLAND (Verdens Gang)
The breakaways from the Progress Party are now exploiting the
potential of the Moland affair for all it is worth. The
Storting's new "gang of four" may be able to tip the scales if the
Centre Party supports the vote of no confidence against Minister
of Finance Sigbjoern Johnsen. "There is no certainty that we will
vote for no confidence. We will consider the recommendation
carefully when it comes," says Oscar D. Hillgaar.
FUTILE NORWEGIAN-INDIAN HEAVY WATER TALKS (Aftenposten/Wednesday
evening edition)
Norway and India have had another round on the heavy water that
disappeared - once more without results. Minister of Development
Cooperation Kari Nordheim Larsen again raised the embarrassing
matter of a consignment of heavy water that was allegedly sent to
India via Romania. India has previously denied allegations that
it has received heavy water, and denies them again. "Minister of
State for External Affairs Salman Khursheed told us that a
thorough investigation was conducted and nothing was found that
could help us clear this up. Therefore, they maintain their
previous stand, that India has not received any heavy water," says
Ms. Larsen.
NEW EXPORT TERMS WITH RUSSIA (Dagens Naeringsliv)
The Government will submit a proposal tomorrow to amend the export
guarantee schemes which apply to Russia and the other former East
Bloc countries. Dropping the absolute requirement for a state
counter-guarantee from the country in question is one of the major
changes. "We have also promised the Storting to present an
evaluation of the export guarantee scheme before presenting the
revised national budget," says State Secretary Marianne Andreassen
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
Now that the European Parliament has approved the addition of four
new members, Sweden, Finland, Austria and Norway have advanced one
important step closer to membership. The next steps will be even
harder. It is now up to the people of the applicant countries,
not the parliamentarians, to decide whether the EU should be
enlarged from 12 to 16 countries. Opposition to membership is
weakest in Austria and strongest in Norway. The most important
referendum, however, appears to be the one in Sweden, because it
will also decide the outcome of the Norwegian referendum.
(Arbeiderbladet)
DATE: 6 May 1994
ALREADY INSIDE (Arbeiderbladet)
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland's advocacy of the EU is
becoming more and more intense. The day after the European
Parliament approved Norway's application, she spoke as if Norway
were already a member. In discussing the EU's relations with the
new democracies in Eastern Europe, Ms. Brundtland consistently
used the words "we" and "our". "If we lay the groundwork for the
integration of the new democracies in the near future, then it is
within the power of the member states to do just that. Our
contribution must be both political and economic. We must build
up networks. We must gradually open up the markets," said the
Prime Minister in her address to the Nordic Labour Congress.
CENTRE PARTY EXPANDS ANTI-ACCESSION CAMPAIGN TO THE REST OF
SCANDINAVIA (NTB/Adresseavisen)
The Centre Party is expanding its anti-accession campaign to
include all of Scandinavia, and has announced that it will export
its zeal as well as its arguments to Sweden and Finland. "Since
the outcome of the Swedish referendum will have such a decisive
effect on our own referendum, Sweden is also within the Norwegian
Centre Party's theatre of battle," says parliamentary leader Johan
J. Jakobsen. Party chairman Anne Enger Lahnstein will attend the
Swedish anti-accession movement's national convention in Lund next week.
THE DEFICIT MUST BE REDUCED (Aftenposten)
Lower unemployment, cutbacks in government spending and the wealth
tax are expected to be the most important issues in connection
with the revised national budget to be submitted by the Government
today. This is the drift of the responses obtained by Aftenposten
from the finance policy spokesmen in the Storting. The parties
that oppose accession to the EU emphasize more than ever before
the necessity of staying out of the Union if we are to get the
budget back into balance. The Conservatives and the Progress
Party are of the view that it must become less expensive to invest
in Norwegian business and industry. Any increase in the wealth
tax such as Labour and the Christian Democrats have reached a "re-
understanding" on will thus encounter fierce opposition. Labour's
finance policy spokesman, Karl Eirik Schjoett-Pedersen, believes
the surge in the Norwegian economy will help reduce the budget
deficit more quickly than planned, but this must take place in
conjunction with further cuts.
CUT INTEREST RATE ON STUDENT LOANS (Dagens Naeringsliv)
President of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry
Svein Aaser appeals to the Government to lower the interest rate
on student loans by at least 2 per cent, as suggested by the
executive board of the State Educational Loan Fund. Mr. Aaser
asks the Government to let the voters know whether or not it is
interested in getting more young people to pursue higher
educations and raising the qualifications of the labour force.
"It is a serious matter that the Government signals its desire to
raise the professional level of our society, yet does nothing to
further this aspiration. On the contrary, it sees to it that
those who pursue studies lasting many years in order to acquire
high qualifications also acquire enormous debts," says Mr. Aaser.
PROGRESS PARTY DROPS UNDER MINIMUM REQUIREMENT (Aftenposten)
Voters are abandoning the Progress Party. Support for the party
is only 3 per cent, according to Opinion's May poll. Compared
with last month, the Progress Party is down 0.8 percentage points.
This in itself is not dramatic, but the April poll was already
extremely low, at 4.3 per cent, and at the present 3.5 per cent
showing, the Progress Party is under the 4 per cent minimum for
the first time in years. The Socialist Left went up 2.1 per cent,
and only slight changes were noted for the other parties.
WORTH NOTING:
- "The level of integration of Western countries in the internal
market, as represented by the EEA Agreement, would be too big a
step for the countries of Eastern Europe," said Prime Minister Gro
Harlem Brundtland in Helsingoer yesterday.
- Norway's military operations abroad cost NOK 2 billion annually.
- Norwegian peace efforts will continue. On 31 May,
representatives of Guatemala's government will meet
representatives of the URNG guerilla group for four days of peace
talks in Oslo.
- The dispute between Norwegian and Scottish fish farmers has
flared up again. The Scots have sent a controversial report on
Norwegian aquaculture subsidies to the European Commission in
Brussels.
- Even though a unanimous Storting expressed its distaste for the
regime in Iran and deplored the death sentence on Salman Rushdie
yesterday, a substantial majority was not willing to implement
unilateral Norwegian sanctions against the regime.
- A strike against ferries and other domestic coastal shipping has
been averted. The ships' engineers and mates accepted the
settlement just before 0100 hours last night.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
The Government will propose an increase in petrol taxes to offset
low oil prices today. This is a justified step, for reasons of
the national economy as well as the environment. However, we do
understand the frustration of motorists. When the price of oil
goes down, the Government raises the price of petrol. When the
price of oil goes up, the oil companies raise the price of petrol.
Is this what we've come to in oil-producing Norway? (Arbeiderbladet)
DATE: 9 May 1994
"THE SCREAM" FINALLY RECOVERED (Aftenposten/Sunday edition)
Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" was found by the police in a
room at the Aasgaardstrand Hotel Saturday morning. The painting
was undamaged after having been missing for nearly three months.
It was returned to the National Gallery on Saturday evening. Three
Norwegian citizens have been detained and charged with receiving
and attempting to sell stolen goods. It is unlikely that these
three are the same ones who stole the painting. Police
investigators have collaborated with Scotland Yard. "The British
elp we have received has been indispensable. Without it, we would
not have found the painting," says Superintendent Leif A. Lier.
The investigation will continue.
GROWING OPPOSITION TO ACCESSION (Aftenposten/Saturday edition)
In April, 42 per cent answered Yes, 37 per cent No and 21 per cent
Don't Know to the question of whether Norway should join the EU if
both Sweden and Finland join. The trend has turned now. In May,
only 36 per cent favour accession to the EU if the other two
Nordic countries join. 41 per cent oppose, while 23 per cent are
undecided. One interesting aspect of the May response is that both
the Yes group and the No group have lost ground to the Don't Know group.
CRITICISM FOR RELUCTANCE TO CUT (Aftenposten/Saturday edition)
Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen is extremely satisfied with
economic developments and says that the Government is in the
process of achieving its aims. Unemployment is on the wane, the
budget deficit is shrinking, our competitiveness is strengthened,
the rate of price inflation is very low and the need for
government borrowing is going down. And he emphasizes that all
this is taking place despite the fact that oil revenues are much
lower than budgeted. Nonetheless, he is subject to heavy criticism
from political quarters as well as business and industry for his
reluctance to cut government expenditures. Instead of reducing
expenditures to balance the budget, he has opted to raise taxes on
essential consumer goods. This is what he has done in every budget
settlement in recent years, raising the value-added tax, the tax
on electric power for private consumption and now, taxes on petrol
and cars.
FURTHER INTEREST-RATE FALL EXPECTED (Nationen/Saturday edition)
Arranging fixed mortgage interest rates may not be the wise thing
to do right now. The Government anticipates a renewed fall in
interest rates. "I would be surprised if interest rates do not
drop even further," said Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen when
he presented the Revised National Budget bill.
UNSUCCESSFUL PIRATE FLEET TRIAL FISHING IN LOOPHOLE (Aftenposten)
Five pirate trawlers are trial fishing in the Loophole. The
vessels engaged in this controversial fishery to the east of
Svalbard are registered in Belize and the Dominican Republic. "If
we are to believe their reports, they haven't been taking much
lately," says the commander of the KV "Nordkapp". These trawlers
will not be permitted to land their catches in Norway or Russia.
Both countries have agreed to use diplomatic channels to stop this
fishery and to expand the presence of control vessels.
WORTH NOTING:
- "The government has saved NOK 300 million in unemployment
payments so far this year. There are 17,000 fewer persons
receiving benefits now than there were at this time last year.
- Kvaerner's order books are fatter than ever, with an order
backlog worth NOK 36.2 billion at the end of the first four months
of 1994.
- One day into this year's season of minke whaling for scientific
purposes, two whales have already been taken.
- All Norwegians are now out of Yemen. Fighting continues.
- Minister of Health Werner Christie has won a clear majority in
the Storting for his infectious disease bill. Under the new
legislation, HIV/AIDS will be treated as any other infectious
disease and not be exempt from the law, as advocated by the
Socialist Left and the Centre Party.
- Erling Kagge reached the top of Mt. Everest at 7:28 Monday
morning, becoming the first person to reach the North Pole and the
South Pole and to climb Mt. Everest.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
A major obstacle to Swedish and Norwegian membership of the EU was
removed when the Swedish Centre Party voted to support accession
to the EU at its extraordinary national convention this weekend.
The disappointment of the leaders of the Norwegian Centre Party
was noticeable. They had expected their Swedish companion party to
oppose membership, which would have given them a welcome addition
to their anti-accession arguments, which are starting to show
signs of wear. Party chairman Anne Enger Lahnstein is visiting a
different party in a different country whose agriculture works
under a different set of political, economic and physical
conditions, which may explain the differences between the two
parties. But Ms. Lahnstein and her party are in a completely
different situation. This is why the Norwegian Centre Party is
going to continue repeating the refrain that accession to the EU
is tantamount to sacrificing of Norwegian independence and
assimilation of Norway into a European superstate. In doing so,
however, the Norwegian Centre should also disclose that this is
precisely what the Swedish Centre favours. The Norwegian Centre
Party will inevitably repeat ad nauseam that it will be impossible
to pursue and implement anything but market liberalistic policies
in the EU. To be fair, they should also include the information
that the Swedish Centre is now full of market liberals. (Dagbladet)
DATE: 10 May 1994
READY TO FORM NEW GOVERNMENT (Nationen)
The Centre Party is ready to form a new government in the event
that the vote of no confidence called against Finance Minister
Sigbjoern Johnsen receives a majority vote. Parliamentary leader
Johan J. Jakobsen made a statement to this effect when he
submitted the Centre Party's no-confidence proposal yesterday.
"We stand firm by the promise we gave during the elections. As
the second largest party in the Storting, we are prepared to take
responsibility," said Mr. Jakobsen. The Centre's proposal for a
vote of no-confidence has put the Socialist Left and the four
breakaways from the Progress Party into a situation in which their
votes will decide whether or not Prime Minister Gro Harlem
Brundtland's government will have to step down.
NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE TODAY (Arbeiderbladet)
The Socialist Left will decide the Government's fate today. The
Socialist Left representatives in the Storting are divided in
their views concerning the no-confidence vote. Some of the
representatives support the proposal, while others caution against
a cabinet crisis. Parliamentary leader Kjellbjoerg Lunde refused
to comment on the issue. The Socialist Left put off yesterday's
group meeting until this afternoon. The four breakaways from the
Progress Party say they will give the issue careful thought before
taking a final stand. "The Government has behaved quite
arrogantly towards the Storting throughout this affair, and has
paid no attention to the criticism of a unanimous opposition with
respect to the party bias of its hiring practices. Still, we must
weigh this against the consequences a cabinet crisis would have
for the country," says Stephen Braathen, one of the breakaways.
JOHNSEN HAS NO REGRETS (Dagbladet)
Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen will express no regret for
having appointed Torstein Moland to the position of Governor of
Norges Bank when the matter is raised in the Storting next week.
The Government will accept any majority vote on the Moland affair
- even if the four breakaways from the Progress Party tip the
scales against Mr. Johnsen and the Government. Eighty
representatives are canvassed as supporting a vote of no-
confidence, and the eighty Labour and Christian Democrat
representatives oppose. The Liberals and the four Progress
breakaways have not yet taken a stand.
EU APPLICATION COST NOK 110 MILLION (Dagens Naeringsliv)
Regardless of the outcome of the referendum on accession to the
EU, the application for EU membership will be expensive for Prime
Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. Expenses connected with the
negotiations, Norway's observer status in the EU and information
on the EU may reach NOK 110 million, according to the Government's
own figures. Negotiations on membership of the EU have cost the
government around NOK 38 million so far, according to Assistant
Secretary General Ketil Boerde of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This amount includes an expanded staff, travelling and information
expenses. Travel expenses alone amount to over NOK 11 million.
Mr. Boerde denies that this will have been wasted if membership of
the EU is voted down in the referendum. "The experience we have
gained through the negotiations is valuable regardless. It will
enhance our ability to get the most out of the EEA Agreement and
to make best use of other possibilities in our relations with the
EU," he says.
WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION OPENS TO THE EAST (Aftenposten)
"The new ties that have been forged between the Western European
Union and the nine Eastern European states are the most important
thing that has happened since the Berlin Wall crumbled. This is a
historic decision that I am convinced will contribute to the
promotion of peace, stability and security in Europe. The WEU
will now take on a role as a broadly-based organization for
European cooperation in the sphere of defence policy," said
Defence Minister Joergen Kosmo after yesterday's meeting of the
WEU. State Secretary Siri Bjerke of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs also emphasizes that Norway strongly supports the WEU
decision to extend cooperation to the east. She pointed out in
her statement yesterday that this expansion is part of a
continually widening base of economic and political cooperation in Europe.
WORTH NOTING:
- The Norwegian Bankers' Association's interpretation of the
revised national budget is that the Government is in reality
implementing a fixed rate policy. "We have every reason to applaud
the Government for this move," says the association's Managing
Director, Trond R. Reinertsen.
- Storting President Kirsti Kolle Groendahl is representing Norway
at the inauguration of the President of South Africa today. A
higher-ranking government official would have been more
appropriate, in the view of the Regional Council for Southern Africa.
- The move to lower the school starting age to six years is up in
the air. The Storting decided yesterday that this change will not
be implemented until the municipalities' expenses have been met.
- New procedures for calculating child support payments mean that
fathers must pay an additional NOK 200 million per year.
- On Wednesday, the public will once more be able to view "The
Scream" at the National Gallery. The small tear in the painting
has been repaired.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
The new Centre Party is unrecognizable in its willingness to
topple the Government for a triviality. The Centre's itch to show
off its political muscle has eclipsed its previous good sense.
Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen certainly deserves criticism
for not spending more time on the appointment of a new Norges Bank
governor, but it is politically irresponsible to overturn a
government on such a flimsy basis. We are confident that the
social democrats in the Socialist Left Storting group will not
follow the populists in the Centre Party. It is also important,
not least for economic reasons, to prevent a chaotic change in
government. (Arbeiderbladet)
Date: 11 May 1994
THEY SAVED THE GOVERNMENT (Aftenposten/Dagbladet/NTB)
There will be no cabinet crisis as a result of the Finance Minister's
handling of the Moland affair. The four breakaways from the Progress
Party made it clear that they do not intend to support a
no-confidence vote against Sigbjoern Johnsen. The Socialist Left
Party, on the other hand, supported the no-confidence proposal. "The
Socialist Left Party cannot trust a Finance Minister who protects a
Governor of Norges Bank who has been involved in questionable
financial speculation and who represents the worst of our
inheritance from the 1980s," comments a representative of the party.
The Socialist Left is of the opinion that Moland should resign of
his own accord. Minister of Finance Sigbjoern Johnsen has apparently
been unaffected by the massive criticism directed towards his and
the Government's handling of the Moland affair. "Politicians must be
able to cope with criticism as well as praise. But I am pleased that
the situation has been cleared up," he admits. "I do not understand
why there has been such vehement criticism of Sigbjoern Johnsen and
the Government. Sigbjoern Johnsen deserves a great deal of the
credit for the fact that Norway's interest rates are among the
lowest in Europe, and that our unemployment rates are going down,"
says Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Labour Party. It was
obvious that the comments made by the chairman of the Labour Party
on Tuesday didn't help to reduce the ill-feeling between the
Government and the opposition.
MAJORITY AGAINST JOHNSEN IN COMMITTEE (NTB)
Late on Tuesday a majority in the Storting's Standing Committee on
Scrutiny and the Constitution agreed on a joint motion criticizing
Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen's appointment of Torstein Moland
as Governor of Norges Bank. The parties advocating a vote of no
confidence were further antagonized by Labour Party chairman
Thorbjoern Jagland's assertion that no mistake had been made. The
Committee recommends that the Centre Party, the Socialist Left, the
Progress Party and the Conservatives collaborate on a vote of no
confidence against the Minister of Finance. The Christian Democratic
Party is critical of Johnsen, but does not support a vote of no
confidence, while the Labour Party finds no grounds for criticism.
CONFIDENCE IN A NO VOTE SERIOUSLY SHAKEN (Nationen)
Norway will be a member of the EU by the year 2000. This is the
opinion of 55 per cent of Norwegian voters, while only 31 per cent
believe that we will stay out. As recently as six months ago the
situation was completely reversed: 34 per cent believed that we would
join and 47 per cent that we would not. This reversal is not due to
voters' personal views on the issue, but to the expectation that
Sweden and Finland will take Norway along with them into the EU.
EXPENSES MAY BECOME TOO HIGH (Aftenposten)
Norway's military involvement abroad may conflict with the Storting's
goals for Norway's defence, according to a Ministry of Defence draft
of a report to the Storting. In this draft the Ministry admits that
Norway's military commitments have become so great that the
Storting's objectives as regards national defence are jeopardized.
Deploying UN forces and troops to NATO contingency* forces at the
same time would cost at least NOK 2 billion annually. If such a
situation should arise, expenditures for military commitments abroad
would increase to the point where it would be difficult, if not
impossible, to meet the goals set out in 1990 by the Defence
Commission in its long-term programme.
NORWAY COMPLIES WITH MANDELA'S WISHES (Dagens Naeringsliv)
Norwegian assistance to South Africa will amount to around NOK 120
million a year for the next five years. NOK 33 million of this will
be earmarked for cooperation in the business sector, preferably for
activities in the black business community. NOK 60 million will go to
the health and education sectors every year. According to State
Secretary Asbjoern Mathisen of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this
is the gist of the Government's development assistance programme for
the new South Africa. He emphasizes that the target group will still
be the poorer parts of South Africa, particularly the rural areas.
"The assistance will be targeted at the black business community, in
accordance with President Nelson Mandela's wishes," says Mr. Mathisen.
WORTH NOTING:
- The State will be reimbursed a sum of NOK 30 million for the clean-
up operation after the grounding of the freighter "Arisan." This will
be the largest sum ever reimbursed for such a clean-up operation.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
It would be difficult to find a more effective means of illustrating
the current crisis in Norwegian politics than the proposed no-
confidence vote, which has a chance of winning a majority in the
Storting. There is absolutely no doubt that the way Finance Minister
Sigbjoern Johnsen handled the appointment of Torstein Moland as
Governor of Norges Bank is grounds for calling a vote of no
confidence. Arbeiderbladet has tried to make light of the affair, but
it is no trifling matter when a country's finance minister fails to
do his job when appointing someone to one of the most central
positions in Norwegian society. At the moment, the parliamentary
process is suspended because there is no real alternative to the
government in power. In such an artificial situation, a vote of no
confidence is actually a headache for those calling it. The greater
the chance that such a vote would be called, the more difficult it
is for those wishing to use it to express their lack of confidence
to back down. At any rate, Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland
should note that one of the members of her government no longer has
the confidence of the Storting. As a consequence, she should throw
prestige to the winds and acknowledge that there are more important
issues at stake than the fate of a single minister. (Aftenposten)