Other hijackers could be tempted (Aftenposten)

The Norwegian Pilots’ Association fears that other hijackers could be tempted to choose Norway as their final destination after two hijackers have been allowed to stay in the country. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is furious. Norwegian MPs are up in arms and have demanded a political review of the case. Sending the hijackers back to Russia, where they have served their sentence, was unthinkable in the eyes of the Immigration Directorate (UDI). MPs have reacted strongly to the UDI’s decision to grant the men permanent residence on humanitarian grounds. Karin Andersen, deputy leader of the Socialist Left Party’s parliamentary group, said that her party would demand a full investigation into the affair. "It is extremely unfortunate that a case of this kind has been handled without the minister responsible being informed," she said.

Faremo critical of UDI decision (Nettavisen)

Former Justice Minister Grete Faremo is strongly critical of the decision by the Immigration Directorate (UDI) to grant permanent residence permits to the two Iranian hijackers who forced an Aeroflot plane to land at Gardermoen airport in 1993. She said she was surprised to read in Tuesday’s edition of Aftenposten that the UDI had granted permanent residence to the two brothers on humanitarian grounds. "At the time an extremely thorough investigations was made of the brothers’ situation, and we balanced that against the very serious offense they had committed," she said, adding the rider that new factors could have arisen in the case since the last time it was considered.

Justice Minister slammed in secret memo (Verdens Gang)

Justice Minister Odd Einar Dørum (Lib) has been taken to task by Local Government and Regional Affairs Minister Erna Solberg (Con) for his failure to ensure that criminal asylum seekers are expelled from the country. Ms Solberg made her startling criticism in a confidential letter. Despite requests to both the Justice Ministry and the Local Government and Regional Affairs Ministry, VG has been unable to view the letter, which was sent almost two weeks ago. "Due to the letter’s contents, it is not being made available for public access," said Ms Solberg. However, she confirmed that she expressed herself bluntly on the matter. "I said quite plainly that the Justice Department must get a grip on this problem."

LO critical of World Bank (NTB)

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) is asking Norwegian delegates to the World Bank conference on development to be held in Oslo next week, as well as senior officials at the Bank, to press for employees’ rights and efforts to combat poverty. In a letter to the Foreign Ministry the LO expresses strong criticism of the World Bank’s activities, writes the union newspaper, LOnytt. "For years the World Bank has pursued policies which have aroused concern and opposition the world over."

Gloomy autumn for Bondevik and Foss (Verdens Gang)

Next year’s national budget looks extremely gloomy for the Government. Boat owners are the only ones who can be sure of receiving tax relief. The figures so far make dismal reading. The billion kroner pot which the Government set aside for its key policies at its Halvorsbøle conference in March has already been eaten up. There is no money for additional tax cuts or other policies close to the Government’s heart. In the last few weeks alone Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss’s in-tray has been filled with three new expenditure items, costing billions of kroner. Work-related sick leave has skyrocketed, the public sector pay settlement was much more expensive than anticipated and the opposition forced the Government to accept its pre-school day care deal. "The budget will be tight. No one will be able to accuse us of being expansive. We will have to make cuts," said a source inside the budget process.

Hagen threatened Defence Minister with public hearing (Dagbladet)

Carl I. Hagen threatened to withdraw the Progress Party’s support for the Government’s purchase of new fighter planes unless Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold appeared before a public hearing on the issue. The drama took place in the Storting last Monday, when the Defence Committee summoned Ms Devold to a meeting. "It took us by surprise when the Progress Party once again demanded a public hearing," said Odd Roger Enoksen, leader of the Centre Party and member of the Storting’s Defence Committee. "It was even more difficult to understand what was going on when the Christian Democrats and Conservatives, who had previously argued vehemently against the proposal, suddenly turned on their heels and voted with the Progress Party." Kristin Krohn Devold therefore had to appear before the Defence Committee again last Thursday – in public. According to Conservative sources, she took the repeat performance with good grace. Others have been less charitable about the Progress Party’s throwing its weight about.

Labour lifeline for Devold (Klassekampen)

Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold has come in for fierce criticism from the Socialist Left Party and the Progress Party, but has been thrown a lifeline by the Labour Party, ensuring that she will emerge unscathed from the Storting’s discussions of the EOS commission’s recommendations. The EOS commission, the parliamentary commission which oversees the secret services, presented its recommendations in March. The commission was extremely critical of the Defence Department’s handling of a case in which one of the Ministry’s department heads was fired because he had lost his security clearance. They feel the Storting should keep clear of one of the hot potatoes thrown up by the EOS commission because the case is still sub judice.

No majority for major sell-off of state assets (NTB)

The Storting has asked the Bondevik government to carry out a full-scale review with the aim of improving the way state assets are managed and organized. On Tuesday night the Storting blocked the Government’s plans for a major sell-off of state shareholdings in Norwegian companies. The Progress Party joined forces with Labour, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party to curb Trade and Industry Minister Ansgar Gabrielsen’s privatization zeal. In principle the Progress Party supports a reduction in state ownership, but party spokesman on the issue, Øystein Hedstrøm, said that in today’s situation there was nothing to be gained by selling off assets only to pump tens of millions of kroner into a Petroleum Fund which was already enormous. Olav Akselsen (Lab), who chairs the Storting’s Business and Industry Committee, is glad that the Government did not achieve a majority for what he described as a massive privatization of state-owned companies. "We can now keep these companies in the country and reduce the danger of Norway becoming a nation of subsidiaries," he said.

1 Worth Noting

1. Ground staff at Braathens and Widerøe have called off their planned strike action. A proposal from the State Mediator was recommended by employers and accepted by employee representatives. (NTB)
2. The agreement on farm subsidies will lead to increased food prices from 1 July. Meat prices are due to go up by three per cent, while dairy products will become five per cent dearer. The agreement gave farmers permission to raise their prices by NOK 475 million. The bill will have to be paid for by the consumer in the form of higher food prices. (Nationen)
3. Norwegian and British authorities are looking into the possibility of coordinating both countries’ oil and gas related activities in the North Sea. This could lead to savings of several hundred billion kroner. Representatives from the Petroleum and Energy Ministry and the British Department of Trade and Energy have been working with Norwegian and British based oil companies since January in an effort to explore a possible coordination. (Dagens Næringsliv)
4. A parliamentary majority is backing the Government’s proposal to enshrine the EU’s gas directive in Norwegian law. The Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party, which oppose Norwegian membership of the EU, fought a losing battle on Tuesday to prevent Norway’s adoption of the EU’s gas directive. (NTB)
5. Trond Giske is wanted as a candidate for the Labour Party’s deputy leader slot. The proposal comes from party members in his home county of South Trøndelag. Earlier this week it became clear that current deputy leader Hill-Marta Solberg wanted to continue in the position. The discussion now is whether the party should have one or two deputy leaders, and who should get the other deputy leader’s job. (Dagsavisen)
6. The voters are turning their backs on Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik (Chr.Dem). The Christian Democrats score a record low in an opinion poll carried out by MMI on behalf of Dagbladet and NRK. A measly 8.5 per cent of the electorate support Mr Bondevik and his team, a slide of 1.4 percentage points. (Dagbladet)
7. Knut Eggum Johansen, head of the Norwegian Competition Authority, has said that Den norske Bank (DnB) and Storebrand may have to sell off parts of their businesses before a merger between the two companies can be approved. Their combined market share in the occupational pension fund segment is probably the element most difficult to swallow for the Competition Authority. (Dagens Næringsliv)
8. Oslo’s police force is quaking in its boots ahead of the World Bank conference next week. The police will ban parking in almost the entire city centre for five days. Shops are being encouraged to empty their shelves before the weekend. Demonstrators who are travelling in from outside Oslo are still being refused accommodation by the Oslo City Council. Erling Lae, chairman of the Municipal Executive Board, is basing his decision on the advice of the police and fire service. Lawyers have said demonstrators should book into a hotel and send the bill to the local council. (Dagsavisen)

2 Today’s comment from Dagbladet

In 1993 three Iranians hijacked a Russian Aeroflot plane in Azerbaijan. Armed with hand grenades they forced the plane to land at Gardermoen airport and asked for political asylum in Norway. After a lengthy judicial process they were extradited to Russia in January 1995, with the promise that they would not be handed over to the Iranian authorities. In Russia they were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, but were out of jail by 1997. Yesterday Aftenposten revealed that two of the hijackers, brothers, had now returned to Norway. They had originally applied for residence in Denmark, but had been turned down. The pair have been granted permanent residence in Norway on humanitarian grounds. Granted, the Iranians have served their sentence for hijacking, but giving them permanent residence in the country to which they originally forced entry sends a signal to other potential hijackers that their actions will be rewarded by being allowed to stay in Norway. According to the Immigration Directorate (UDI), the two men risk the death penalty in their homeland, which means Norway has no other option than to grant them permanent residence. The key to the problem lies in the fact that international cooperation does not work. That the UDI does not trust Iran’s assurances that the two will not be sentenced to death, or Russia’s guarantees that they will not be handed over to the Iranian authorities is worrying, but understandable. Hardly anyone has paid attention to the complex nature of the case. The signal which the granting of permanent residence sends abroad is that hijacking pays. That is the worse thing that can happen. Preventing this should be more important than narrow national interests.