The Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Oslo Press Division

Norway Daily No. 40/00

Date: 25 February 2000

BEWARE THE 9TH OF MARCH (Aftenposten)

The Storting Presidium yesterday scheduled the parliamentary deliberations on the Fornebu IT centre for Tuesday, 7 March. The energy white paper will be in the Order of Business two days later, and standards for gas-burning power generation are certain to be an issue. In both cases, the Storting is expected to vote against the Government, so Mr. Bondevik’s chances of surviving the second week in March depend on whether or not he elects to treat either of these issues as votes of no-confidence. And this remains to be seen.

THE DIE IS CAST (Dagbladet)

Jens Stoltenberg and the Labour Party are now waging all-out war against the Government on the gas power issue by eliminating every recourse open to the Government. The likelihood that the Bondevik Government will fall on 9 March is therefore increasingly certain. It seems that the centrist coalition is determined to hold its head high no matter what, and will not slink off in defeat. A number of central persons in the political centre have indicated that if Mr. Stoltenberg really has his sights set on replacing the Bondevik Government, Mr. Bondevik will probably take a defeat on the gas-power issue on 9 March as his cue to step down.

LABOUR REJECTS GOVERNMENT’S BID (Dagsavisen)

The bait is too expensive. Labour says the Bondevik Government’s proposal will cost at least NOK 5 billion, and is designed primarily to carry the Government through the gas-power controversy. Its strategy for doing so is to get the Storting to pass a bill providing for various exemptions, subsidies for CO ₂ disposal systems and the creation of a national quota system for CO ₂ emissions in an effort to make emissions-free gas-power plants more profitable than conventional gas-fired plants. "Labour is not interested in playing this game," says Labour energy policy spokesman Olav Akselsen.

GAS HARDLY VIABLE (Aftenposten)

Power brokers can offer 10-year contracts costing 20 per cent less than what Naturkraft will have to charge in order to make money on gas-fired power plants starting in 2004. But Naturkraft believes energy prices will rise sufficiently to make its power plants profitable, and political proponents of gas-based power production are not fazed by the energy-brokers’ forecasts either. "The main point for us is to eliminate the political conditions which make it impossible to build gas-fired power plants," says Olav Akselsen (Labour).

DØRUM ORDERS FASTER ASYLUM PROCESSING (Aftenposten)

Minister of Justice Odd Einar Dørum has ordered the Immigration Directorate to speed up the processing of applications from asylum-seekers from Russia and the Baltics. Mr. Dørum believes this will do much to reduce crime committed by asylum-seekers. Asylum-seekers stopped coming to Denmark when processing time there was reduced to eight days, and Norwegian police want the same.

GJELSTEN LEAVES AKER RGI (Dagens Næringsliv)

No one was surprised when Bjørn Rune Gjelsten announced yesterday that he was leaving Aker RGI. Mr. Gjelsten has been on a leave of absence since last October from his job as group CEO, and now he has decided to turn this job over to his business partner of many years, Kjell Inge Røkke.

WORTH NOTING

1. It will cost billions of kroner for Norway to fulfill its obligations under international climate treaties, according to a recent report. A 50 per cent reduction in Norway’s domestic CO ₂ output will cost NOK 450 million per year. If the projected gas-fuelled power plants are built, this will go up by an additional NOK 1.2 billion per year. (Dagsavisen)
2. Norsk Hydro could have pollution-free gas-burning power plants built by 2001, only a year behind Naturkraft’s schedule for building conventional – polluting – power plants. (Verdens Gang)
3. A soon-to-be-released report takes a look at the use of pre-trial detention by the courts. A review of 454 pre-trial detention cases for the Oslo City Court reveals that the regulations are being stretched, particularly in regards to prolonged pre-trial detention. (Vårt Land)
4. 1999 was a good year for Norway’s financial community. The banks noted solid growth, due not least to expanding net interest margins and favourable trends in the securities market. (Nationen)
5. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed a contract worth a potential NOK 1.8 billion with Bazan, the Spanish shipyard which was awarded the frigate contract. NOK 810 million of this represents direct countertrade in weaponry systems for the frigates to be built for the Norwegian navy. (Dagens Næringsliv)
6. Kjell Inge Røkke is appropriating over one-half billion kroner in dividends from Aker RGI to refinance debts amounting to several billion kroner. (Verdens Gang)

TODAY’S COMMENT from Aftenposten

The debate following Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik’s State of the Kingdom message on Wednesday reconfirmed the fact that Norway still finds itself in a political state of emergency. As expected, the PM was unwilling to reveal whether he was prepared to accept orders from the Storting in respect of gas-burning power plants or on the matter of the Fornebu IT centre. He said no more than absolutely necessary before the issues are decided by the Storting: "The Government will fight for its views on both issues. Nothing is certain until the votes are taken in the Storting." Mr. Bondevik’s statement that there are limits to what the Government can take responsibility for have no meaning until he makes those limits known. The first major issue to be fought out, which will most likely be the Fornebu IT centre, was hardly mentioned in the Storting’s debate on the State of the Kingdom message. But it would be inconceivable for the Government to put its position on the line over that issue only to let itself be ordered by the Storting to accept gas-based power plants. As regards the gas-power issue, an ultimatum to the Storting would be a reasonably clear message of what the PM means when he says there are limits to what his Government can take responsibility for. At least it would be final last words deserving of respect. And in any case, it would not be a bad testimony to go down in history as the Government which reinstated parliamentarism in Norway.