The Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Oslo Press Division

Norway Daily No. 37/00

Date: 22 February 2000

BONDEVIK WANTS TO STAY – DOESN’T KNOW HOW (Aftenposten)

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik will continue to put off a decision on how his Government will tackle a parliamentary crisis over gas-based power production. He concedes that "things look difficult". Mr. Bondevik’s anxiety is real, because he sincerely wishes to keep his current job. "Our spirits and determination are still high. We feel we have accomplished a great deal while in Government – much more than we did in many, many years of opposition," says Mr. Bondevik.

LABOUR OPEN FOR ELECTRICITY RATE HIKES (Dagsavisen)

The Labour Party could go along with higher electricity rates as a means of reducing energy consumption. This could be the straw Mr. Bondevik could grasp in an effort to pull his Government through the gas power confrontation. Liberal parliamentary leader Gunnar Kvassheim says things are "looking up" for the Government in regard to the proposals the energy white paper is really all about.

SECRET INVESTOR GROUP PULLING FOR BONDEVIK (Verdens Gang)

A secret, financially "heavy" investor group will publically announce this week their intention to build "clean" gas-fired power plants in Norway. Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik admits that he is aware of the existence of such a group. "Yes, I have heard rumours, but I don’t know how far they have progressed with their plans," he says.

GOVERNMENT WORKING WITH BELLONA (NTB)

The centrist coalition is working on a bill which would make non-polluting gas-fired power plants more profitable by exempting them from national excise taxes. The coalition is working closely with the Bellona Environmental Foundation in hopes of saving the Government. Bellona will present its knowledge of non-polluting gas power plants at an open session of the Storting today. The coalition parties hope this solution will forestall the construction of the polluting gas-burning power plants planned by Labour and the Conservatives.

EU ADVOCACY ON THE RISE (Dagbladet)

Advocates of Norwegian membership of the EU may now claim a marginal majority. 42 per cent of the population feel Norway should join the EU, while 40 per cent disagree. 18 per cent have not taken a stand, according to a recent MMI poll. Pro-membership groups have not been in the majority since January 1999. This advance is largely due to the fact that more people have now taken a stand on this issue.

LABOUR CALLS FOR LONGER PARENTAL LEAVE (Aftenposten)

Labour Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland supports the Women’s Section’s call for longer parental leave in connection with childbirth, suggesting 2 years. How this is to be funded is a matter of disagreement. "The cash benefits scheme must be restructured in any case, but this must be left to the national convention in November," he says.

MINISTRY REJECTS DEMANDS FROM ILLEGITIMATE WAR BABIES (Dagsavisen)

The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs takes the view that the injustices committed against children of German soldiers in the postwar period have not been adequately documented, and consequently rejects the idea of providing any sort of compensation or reparations. This is in direct contradiction to Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik’s statement, in his New Year’s Address, that "If we are to establish and maintain national unity, we must atone for past misdeeds and work for a spirit of reconciliation". But now he says nothing.

WORTH NOTING

1. Statoil group CEO Olav Fjell says gas-based power generation is not economically viable at today’s electricity rates. "We do not believe rates will stay this low, however," he says. (Dagens Næringsliv)
2. Minister of Children and Family Affairs Valgerd Svarstad Haugland feels the Labour Women’s Section’s call for additional parental leave demonstrates a concern only for parents with permanent jobs. (Vårt Land)
3. It became apparent during yesterday’s open Gardermoen hearing in the Storting that Norwegian State Railway (NSB) chief executive Kristian Rambjør had been shoved completely out to the sidelines when the process of building the Gardermoen shuttle railway got under way. The Ministry of Transport and Communications took full control of everything. (Aftenposten)
4. While the Labour and Christian Democratic parties battle for Government power, former Labour Party chairman Reiulf Steen calls on them both to discuss long-term collaboration instead. (Dagbladet)
5. 38 homicides committed in Norway last year, together with a rise in drug-related crime, made 1999 a record year in crime statistics. (NTB)
6. Azerbaijan and Angola are core areas in Statoil’s exploration and production activity. Statoil plans to withdraw from a number of countries next year, while considering entry into new areas, such as Iran. (Dagsavisen)
7. The number of farmholdings in Norway has dropped by half in the past 30 years. Hardest hit are the Agder counties and Telemark. (Nationen)

TODAY’S COMMENT from Vårt Land

Labour’s replacement of one parliamentary leader with another was all it took to set the entire political landscape in motion, but it would be a gross oversimplification to call this "the Jens effect". Despite Mr. Stoltenberg’s obvious media skills, there are other indications that Labour is in the process of resuming its normal standing in the opinion polls. All the confusion of the past few years served either to paralyse Labour voters or to spur them to vote Conservative or Progress in protest. But now they are returning. The drive for Government power is strong in the ranks of the Labour Party, but it would be wise to be patient a while longer. The latest opinion polls show that a socialist parliamentary majority is once again within reach, and if these ratings persist, next year’s general election could put Labour back into power for another four years. Labour is starting to flex its muscles again, bringing new vitality into the political arena. But the Progress Party has set its sights on a spot in the Government, too. Carl I. Hagen wants to be prime minister in a coalition Government, which complicates things for the Conservatives. The Conservatives would certainly like some help from Progress to form a Government, but they do not relish the idea of recognizing the existence of a second serious party on the political right.