ISSN 0804-709X
www.norwaves.com
ATTN: PRESSE- OG KULTURKONTORET
THE ROYAL MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Press Division, Oslo
NORWAY DAILY NO. 128-132/94 OeW/KJ
DATE: 7 July 1994
NORWAY REQUESTS EXTRADITION OF WATSON (Aftenposten/NTB)
Paul Watson ordered the entire crew on deck to act as a shield
when the Coast Guard cutter "KV Andenes" threatened to shoot. Two
warning shots fired across her bow had no effect, so the cannon
was aimed at the ship's side. The Coast Guard made several
attempts yesterday to throw ropes into the propeller of "Whales
Forever". During one of the attempts, Mr. Watson set up his speed
to full and rammed the port side of the "Andenes". The result was
a deep dent in the bow of the "Whales Forever" and a long dent in
the side of the "Andenes". After twelve eventful hours in the
Vestfjorden, "Whales Forever" headed southwest. The "Andenes"
stopped following her at 0300 hours Thursday morning. Everything
indicates that Mr. Watson is making straight for the Shetland
Islands to have his ship repaired. The Norwegian authorities have
sent a request for Mr. Watson's extradition as soon as the
judgement against him becomes binding. Acting Police Chief Arild
Aaseroed of Bodoe made the extradition request public yesterday
evening. Yesterday's attempt by the "KV Andenes" to stop the
"Whales Forever" was the first time the Norwegian Coast Guard has
used force in Norwegian territorial waters.
WATSON SENT FALSE DISTRESS MESSAGE (Dagbladet)
Paul Watson attempted to bluff sea rescue centres in Germany,
mainland Scotland, the Shetland Islands and the US by reporting
that "Whales Forever" was fired upon by a Norwegian vessel using
cannon and handguns and that several persons were injured by
gunfire. When the sea rescue centre in Bodoe called up Paul
Watson, they were told that "several persons injured by gunfire"
may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but one person was injured
slightly in a fall during the collision with the "Andenes".
RACIST INCIDENTS INVESTIGATED (Aftenposten)
"We are not certain that all decisions to drop cases have been
correct. We still take the view that only serious cases should be
prosecuted because of the importance of freedom of speech and
expression," says acting Director General of Public Prosecutions
Tor-Aksel Busch in response to criticism by the UN committee on
racial discrimination that only one out of 510 reported cases of
discrimination was prosecuted. Director General of Public
Prosecutions Georg Fr. Rieber-Mohn has advocated more severe
penalties for racially-motivated crimes. The Anti-Racist Centre
has stopped bringing charges for racism because they feel the
cases are simply dropped.
NORWEGIAN FARMERS LEFT OUT (Dagbladet)
Only around 55 per cent of Norway's agricultural land will be
classified by the EU as northern agriculture. This is much less
than the Government's estimate respecting districts south of the
62nd parallel that qualify for support. The first of the extra
rounds of negotiation necessary to fill in the gaps in the
agricultural agreement with the EU will soon be over, and sources
among the Norwegian negotiators as well as EU sources confirm that
55 per cent is the most likely figure. "I would like to emphasize
that this is not final, and that the Commission has not completed
its evaluation of the Norwegian criteria," says EU ambassador
Eivinn Berg.
HELICOPTER GIANT MAY NOW TAKE OFF (Dagens Naeringsliv)
"It's not easy to state that Helikopter Service's acquisition of
Bond Helicopters will weaken the competition in Norway. For now,
competition in the Norwegian market is working fine. Besides, Bond
Helicopters has no presence in the Norwegian market, so this move
does not mean that there will be one less competitor in Norway,"
says Egil Bakke, director of the Norwegian Competition Authority.
This is the conclusion of the Competition Authority's assessment
of the acquisition that will make Helikopter Service the world's
biggest helicopter company.
WORTH NOTING:
- 2,514 new persons have been registered as unemployed since 1
July, bringing the total to 121,118, according to the most recent
figures from the Directorate of Labour. 5.7 per cent of the labour
pool is now without any employment at all.
- Minister of Local Government and Labour Gunnar Berge says that
property taxes should be voluntary for the municipalities, not
compulsory, as has recently been proposed.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
For a nation that has always been foremost among those who condemn
racial discrimination in other countries, the report on the
Norwegian failure to deal effectively with its own problem is
disturbing. The fact that the UN committee on racial
discrimination has a reputation for being critical is no
consolation, nor is the fact that countries to which we are
normally compared have not fared any better. The words of warning
contained in this report are highly relevant. In defence of the
Norwegian authorities, though, it should be noted that racial
discrimination in its sundry forms is a complex problem which is
not solved overnight. Nonetheless, the time is more than ripe for
coming to grips with our own xenophobia and prejudices. The
committee is right in its observation that for some young people,
it is enough that leaders condemn racism. Others are influenced by
a good example. But let there be no doubt - setting an example
works both ways. Adults who speak disparagingly of immigrants and
refugees are more than accessory to the discrimination and racism
denounced in this depressing report on a nation that meets people
from other cultures with anything but charity. (Aftenposten)
DATE: 8 July 1994
THE ECONOMY PICKING UP (Aftenposten)
"The economic upswing appears to be on a firm footing now, and the
budget deficit for 1994 will be noticeably lower. The latest
figures from the quarterly national accounts indicate that
economic growth may be much higher than we estimated in the
revised National Budget," says Minister of Finance Sigbjoern
Johnsen. He feels both long and short term interest rates should
still go down. And the figures speak clearly. According to the
Ministry of Finance, growth in gross domestic product (GDP) this
year will be greater than anticipated in the revised National
Budget. Inflation appears to be lower. The original estimates
indicated a four per cent growth in the GDP; first quarter growth
in GDP was seven per cent over the same period last year
KOSMO LET WATSON GO (Aftenposten-Thursday evening edition)
"It was my decision to let Paul Watson go, and I will take the
political responsibility for the decision," says Minister of
Defence Joergen Kosmo. He is in sharp disagreement with the
reaction of Storting representative Svein Ludvigsen (Cons.) to the
incident. Mr. Ludvigsen feels the Coast Guard and the police made
fools of themselves yesterday, and has called for the resignation
of the northern Coast Guard squadron chief and the acting chief of
police in Bodoe. Mr. Ludvigsen has not received any support from
his fellow conservatives.
COULD HAVE SUNK WATSON'S SHIP (Dagbladet)
The Coast Guard had full legal authority to sink Paul Watson's
ship after Wednesday's collision. "Even though Mr. Watson's
actions were insane, a reaction that could have led to injury or
loss of life was not justified," said the northern Coast Guard
squadron chief, Commander SG Torstein Myhre, as he dismissed
criticism of the Coast Guard and the police. When "Whales Forever"
entered Norwegian territorial waters, the commander and crew of
the Coast Guard cutter "Andenes" followed their instructions to
the letter. "The 'Andenes' succeeded in driving Mr. Watson out of
Norwegian waters, so whaling and landing activities are now safe.
That's what's most important," says Commander SG Myhre.
EXPLANATION DEMANDED OF COAST GUARD (Dagbladet)
The skipper of the "Senet" is furious with the Coast Guard command
and has demanded an explanation - in writing and from the top - as
to why the Coast Guard was three hours away when Greenpeace
activists again took action against whaling operations Wednesday
afternoon. The "Senet" had just shot a large whale and was in the
process of pulling it in when Greenpeace cut the harpoon line.
Whaling Inspector Eva Egeberg reacted strongly to the behaviour of
the Greenpeace activists after she witnessed the incident. She
felt their action to prevent the humane killing of a wounded
animal was inexcusable.
GIVE MORE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF LOANS
(Aftenposten)
Norwegian development assistance helps foster permanent
dependence. "Provide more assistance in the form of loans rather
than gifts," says Valter Angell, researcher with the Norwegian
Institute of International Affairs. He is highly critical of the
use of NOK 8 billion in foreign aid, and would additionally like
to see greater transparency in NORAD's work. "The Storting has
paid more attention to the percentage of the Fiscal Budget going
to development assistance than to the actual substance of the
assistance," says Conservative party chairman Jan Petersen, adding
his support to the criticism. The Government welcomes a public
debate on development assistance.
WORTH NOTING:
- The Postal Bank is interested in taking over the Norwegian State
Housing Bank. The Postal Bank has raised the matter with the
Ministry of Finance on its own initiative, and the Ministry has
dismissed the request.
- 31,700 persons moved to Norway in 1993, and 18,900 moved out.
The surplus of persons moving in is 2,900 higher than the year before.
- Norwegian alcohol consumption is dropping slowly but surely, if
official statistics are to be relied on. Per capita consumption
went down 24 per cent from 1980 to 1993.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
For the first time, the Norwegian Coast Guard has used force in
Norwegian territorial waters to stop a foreign vessel. This in
itself is a strong indication that the authorities take a serious
view of the illegal and provocative actions of Paul Watson and his
anti-whaling activists. Mr. Watson has been convicted in Norway
for an attempt to sink a Norwegian whaling vessel. Now he is also
charged with entering Norwegian inshore waters without permission
and for serious vandalism after the collision with the Coast Guard
cutter "Andenes". Paul Watson has much to answer for here in
Norway. We have no treaty of extradition with the US, but as long
as Mr. Watson is in Europe, he can be handed over to the Norwegian
authorities. All indications point to Mr. Watson having
deliberately run "Whales Forever" into the Coast Guard cutter. He
sent false distress signals and used his crew as a shield against
warning shots. His battle against Norwegian whaling activity has
more in common with political terrorism than with environmental
activism. Also indicative is the fact that "Whales Forever" flies
a pirate's flag from her mast. (Arbeiderbladet)
DATE: 11 July 1994
GREENPEACE SHIP DETAINED BY COAST GUARD (NTB)
The Norwegian Coast Guard detained the Greenpeace ship "Sirius"
south of Egersund Sunday evening for having impeded the whaling
operation of the crew of the "Senet" on the North Sea. Nine
Greenpeace activists were arrested earlier Sunday evening for
attempting to block whaling operations from the "Senet".
Greenpeace also took action against the "Senet" last Wednesday.
The ship will be escorted to a Norwegian port and handed over to
the police. Since the arrest of the "Sirius", Greenpeace awaits a
police decision on what will be done with the "Sirius", before
determining its next move. The Coast Guard has now made use of the
limited police powers which have been conferred on it for this
year's whaling season.
EVERYONE CLAIMS VICTORY IN THE WHALING WAR (Aftenposten - Saturday
edition)
Paul Watson ran off to the Shetland Islands with his tail between
his legs and Greenpeace cut a wounded whale loose. But did they
win this week's whaling war? Director General Kaare Bryn of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Research Issues states
that authorities now have additional evidence that Paul Watson is
completely irresponsible, and that Greenpeace's smooth finish has
taken a scratch. "We consider our action a success," says Katrin
Glatz Brubakk of Greenpeace Norway. She maintains that Greenpeace,
unlike Watson, achieved something - namely, to hinder whaling
activity. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has registered only a
single reference to the anti-whaling incidents in the foreign
press, appearing in Thursday's Daily Telegraph.
EXCESSIVE AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF (Aftenposten)
The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority gives agriculture much
of the blame for the fact that Norway has not met the requirements
of the North Sea Agreement. In a letter to the county governors,
the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority declares that runoff of
nitrogen compounds is too high. According to the North Sea
Agreement, the Norwegian farming sector was to have reduced
nitrogen runoff by 44 per cent from 1985 to 1995. We were 29 per
cent off the mark last summer. The fact that Norway, like the
other signatory nations, has recognized that the target is
unattainable and has planned in part to push back the dates for
fulfilment, is immaterial to the environmental authorities in this
context. They fear that Norway's self-appointed role as a driving
force in the effort to reduce pollution in the North Sea will seem
inappropriate if these results are not improved.
OPSETH REMAINS SILENT (Arbeiderbladet)
Minister of Transport and Communications Kjell Opseth refuses to
reply to criticism of the Norwegian State Railway's plans to shut
down 35 railway stations temporarily before he has seen the
proposal. He expects to have received it within a few days. "When
plans of this sort reach the ears of the public in bits and
pieces, it creates unrest in local communities. The Minister of
Transport and Communications must now give the Storting the full
story on the State Railway's plans," said Storting representative
Eirin Faldet.
EMINENT NORDIC BREAKFAST CLUB IN THE EU (Aftenposten)
The Prime Ministers of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland will
form one of Europe's most exclusive breakfast clubs if the
referenda to be held in these countries this autumn come out in
favour of EU membership. The Nordic prime ministers agreed
yesterday to institute the practice of having breakfast together
prior to all EU summits. They will be able to prepare for the
summit around the breakfast table in order to achieve maximum
impact in the EU for issues important to the Nordic countries.
NORWAY STEPS DOWN FROM TOP OF DEVELOPMENT AID SCALE (Aftenposten)
For years, Norway has led the world in its contributions to
development aid as a percentage of gross national product (GNP).
As early as 1982, Norway had reached the UN target established in
1980 that aid to the third world should be at least one per cent
of GNP. Last year, however, Denmark topped Norway as the country
giving most aid in proportion to GNP. The margins are small,
though, as Denmark is only 0.02 per cent ahead of Norway.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
The big development assistance commission formed to evaluate all
aspects of Norwegian development aid is scheduled to submit its
report in October. Norway spends NOK 8 billion every year on
development assistance, yet there is never any significant
critical review of the results achieved by these expenditures. To
all appearances, there will be a broad political consensus that
reforms for making Norwegian development assistance more effective
are in order. The manner in which the assistance provided by many
Western countries is organized has created a situation of
dependence on the assistance - development assistance has become
development hindrance. It may well be possible that a system by
which a greater amount of assistance is provided as loans instead
of gifts would give the recipient countries the necessary
incentive to ensure that funds are used more effectively. Our
concept of development assistance must be readjusted to focus more
on the results of assistance than on a target sum for year-to-year
allocations. The enormous sums involved are of only limited value
if they do not lead to measurable results among the recipients. (Aftenposten)
DATE: 12 July 1994
JOHNSEN SPOKE TO EU MINISTERS IN NORWEGIAN (Aftenposten)
Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen attended the meeting of the
European finance ministers for the first time yesterday, in
company with his counterparts from Sweden, Finland and Austria. He
marked the occasion by holding his address in Norwegian and by
reserving Norway's position on the view of the EU states that
growth in real wages should be lower than growth in productivity.
Otherwise, he was quite satisfied, and said that as a Norwegian
social democratic finance minister, he had no significant
objections to the general EU guidelines for economic policies of
member states. In his address to his EU counterparts, Mr. Johnsen
emphasized the importance of the German presidency's move in
giving the struggle against unemployment top priority, declaring
that Norway supports the general strategy for creating employment
as outlined in the Commission's White Book. He also sent this
plain message to the EU: "It is important to cooperate with the
employer and employee organizations. In Norway, such cooperation
in recent years has helped strengthen our competitive ability in
relation to costs and has helped keep inflation down. This sort of
cooperation requires equitable distribution, and it is essential
that workers' rights are not watered down. We must not think that
reduction of wages and social rights will lead to an increase in
investments and jobs.
"SIRIUS" AND THREE ACTIVISTS RELEASED (Aftenposten)
The three persons charged with serious vandalism in connection
with the cutting of the harpoon line from the whaling vessel
"Senet" were released from police custody in Egersund late Monday
evening. The Greenpeace ship "Sirius" has also been released, but
three light boats have been confiscated to prevent activists
aboard the ship from interfering further with whaling operations.
The police view the cutting of the harpoon line as an act of
vandalism, and as the value of the whale was assessed at around
NOK 150,000, it becomes "serious vandalism". This offence carries
a maximum sentence of four years' imprisonment.
WHALER SUES FOR LOSSES (Verdens Gang)
The skipper of the whaling vessel "Senet" will file a suit today
demanding seizure of the Greenpeace ship "Sirius". If his suit is
upheld, the "Sirius" will not be permitted to leave harbour until
Greenpeace posts bond for the amount of losses sustained by the
skipper as a result of the organization's actions. The whaler now
eyes the possibility of recovering losses in excess of NOK 200,000
inflicted by actions on the high seas.
148 OUT OF 174 MINKE WHALES NOW TAKEN (Dagbladet)
So far, 148 minke whales have been taken in this year's whaling season.
The commercial quota, 174 whales, may be reached by the end of July.
RAUFOSS SUED FOR CORRUPTION (Verdens Gang)
The British Department of Defence is suing Raufoss
Ammunisjonsfabrikk for millions for its payments to Gordon Foxley,
the British civil servant convicted for corruption. These civil
proceedings will mark the end of the Gordon Foxley affair, which
has been a heavy burden on the munitions manufacturer. Raufoss
figures the claim will be limited upwards to NOK 3.5 million, the
amount Mr. Foxley is alleged to have received from Raufoss.
WORTH NOTING:
- Government employee sick leave statistics for the first quarter
of this year show a 7.6 per cent decline over the same period last year.
- Japan is jockeying with France for the position as our most
important market for fresh salmon. So far this year, exports of
fresh salmon to the Japanese market have gone up 80 per cent.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
The absence of a viable alternative to a Labour government has
created an abnormal situation in Norwegian politics. With a
parliamentary minority as its permanent basis, Prime Minister Gro
Harlem Brundtland and her Government can more or less count on
majority support for their policies. This is not a healthy
situation in a democracy as it permits a minority Government to
disregard majority views in the Storting by enabling the governing
party to do the parliamentary handsprings necessary to stay in
power. In this way, the governing party obtains power which is
incommensurate with its parliamentary support. And power has a
nasty tendency to be exercised in a detrimental way if correctives
are not in place. The feeling of powerlessness that inevitably
rides the opposition in this parliamentary state of emergency is
also breeding a pattern of political action with a number of
disturbing characteristics. Instead of meeting the Government with
real opposition on important political issues, the opposition
parties are now launching "strategic initiatives" which have no
bearing on political issues. Their sole purpose is to attract
attention to the parties or the politicians behind the
initiatives. (Aftenposten)
DATE: 13 July 1994
NOTHING NEW FROM THE EU (Aftenposten)
Hallvard Bakke, leader of the Social Democrats against the EU,
yesterday studied the new economic guidelines confirmed by the
EU's finance ministers on Monday. Prime Minister Gro Harlem
Brundtland and Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen have both
claimed that these guidelines demonstrate even more clearly than
before that the fight against unemployment has been given top
priority in the EU. "I must say I'm rather surprised by these
statements. This document merely confirms what the EU summit
declared in December. At that time, low inflation took precedence
over all other economic policy goals," said Mr. Bakke. In his
view, one slight change does appear, though. The EU takes a more
positive view of the outlook for the job market than it did only a
few weeks ago. "Now they say they will consolidate unemployment
this year in order to bring it down a bit in the years ahead. One
must bear in mind, however, that in the EU, unemployment is higher
now than it has ever been, and that their target is the so-called
equilibrium unemployment rate, which is around eight to nine per
cent," said Mr. Bakke.
FOREIGN MINISTRY VIOLATES FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (NTB)
The Foreign Ministry is violating the Freedom of Information Act,
in the view of the Norwegian Press Association. In an experiment
carried out by the Press Association, 159 documents were requested
from the Foreign Ministry, but 32 per cent were held back. "People
are not given information to which they are entitled on important
foreign policy issues," states Secretary General Gunnar Gran. He
says the study reveals that the intent of the Freedom of
Information Act is not being carried out in practice.
WHALER'S SUIT UPHELD - BUT TOO LATE (Dagbladet)
While the whaler's lawyer awaited the decision of the Court of
Enforcement, the Greenpeace ship "Sirius" sailed from Egersund.
Word came twenty minutes later that the court upheld the action of
the skipper of the "Senet" to have assets of the ship seized. The
skipper of the "Senet" has requested the assistance of the
Norwegian Fishermen's Association in pursuing its court action
against Greenpeace. "What has happened is a matter of principle,
absolutely. Who is to carry the burden when Norwegian citizens are
prevented from engaging in lawful business? We take a serious view
of this incident, and will reach a decision as quickly as possible
as to what course of action we will take," says Secretary General
Vigdis Harsvik of the Norwegian Fishermen's Association.
GREENPEACE TO SUE NORWAY (Verdens Gang)
Greenpeace intends to file a court action against the Norwegian
authorities because they feel the Norwegian Coast Guard's
apprehension of the "Sirius" was a violation of international law.
"The Greenpeace ship was in international waters when it was
boarded by the Norwegian Coast Guard. This is a manifest violation
of international law," states Greenpeace's lawyer, Steingrim
Wolland. In his view, the fact that Greenpeace has taken action
against the "Senet" on two previous occasions is irrelevant.
PRICE OF OIL ON JOHNSEN'S SIDE (Dagens Naeringsliv)
The price of oil is no longer Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen's
biggest problem. Despite exchange rates against the dollar being
at a record low, it looks like the price of oil will stabilize at
a level well above the Government's prognosis. If current prices
continue for the rest of the year, it will add two or three
billion kroner to Mr. Johnsen's revenues.
TRANSPORT MINISTER OPSETH SUPPORTS RAILWAY CUTS (Aftenposten)
Most of the cuts proposed by the board of the Norwegian State
Railway, amounting to NOK 200 million, have received the full
support of Minister of Transport and Communications Kjell Opseth.
He has not taken a stand on the State Railway's proposal to
temporarily remove the staff from 19 specified stations. "The
matter will be discussed by the board of the State Railway, after
which they will send their proposal to the Ministry for a
decision. I have made it clear to them that any proposals to
remove staffing from stations may be submitted to the Storting,"
says Mr. Opseth.
WORTH NOTING:
- Yasser Arafat would like Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Bjoern Tore Godal, to be the first foreign cabinet-level minister
to visit him in Jericho. The Foreign Ministry has received an oral
invitation from the chairman of the PLO.
- No radioactive emissions have been detected so far, according to
the expedition examining the wreckage of the sunken nuclear
submarine the "Komsomolets".
- Norwegian roads are safest, according to a survey conducted by
Fuld Valuta, a Danish insurance company.
TODAY'S COMMENT:
All who suspect the secret services of acting at and beyond the
limits of the law have obtained new grist for their mills in the
reports that the National Security Police have also destroyed
archive materials during the first six months of this year. It is
beyond comprehension that this can take place after the National
Security Bureau implemented a "shredding stop" for as long as the
investigation of the secret services lasts. The leader of the
control commission for security police and secret services stated
this May that in 1993, "it seems that documents were destroyed
that should not have been destroyed". Yet the destruction has
continued! (Arbeiderbladet)