MPs reject US demand for immunity (Dagsavisen)

MPs Dagsavisen has spoken to have reacted strongly to the USA’s attempt to undermine the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague. They do not want Norway to sign an agreement which would give US citizens immunity from prosecution. Foreign Minister Jan Petersen has said he will not support an agreement with the USA which would prevent US citizens from being handed over to the ICC. "This is something we cannot say yes to," said Mr Petersen to the ANB news agency. Dagsavisen revealed yesterday that the USA has been requesting bilateral agreements on this issue with a number of countries, including Norway. "It is important that we harmonize our response with that of other European countries, and that we do it in such a way that we try and get the USA on board with regard to the ICC. I am firmly convinced that the USA is exaggerating the problems linked to the court. They do have a point in that the court could be misused, but there are so many reservations and get-out clauses built into the ICC’s statutes that in many ways this problem has been resolved," said Mr Petersen.

Statoil wants Norsk Hydro’s oil and gas (Aftenposten)

If Norsk Hydro decides to spin off its oil and gas business, it should be merged with Statoil, says Statoil’s newly elected chairman, Leif Terje Løddesøl. Mr Løddesøl’s comments have sent shock waves into the Norwegian debate over the future of the oil industry. "For a long time we felt that Norway should have three oil companies, the wholly private Saga, partially privatized Norsk Hydro, and the wholly state-owned Statoil. Then Saga was bought up, and now there is a discussion about whether we need two companies. Norsk Hydro’s chief executive Eivind Reiten has cautiously indicated that the company’s current structure is not written in tablets of stone," said Mr Løddesøl. "If Norsk Hydro wants to spin off its oil and gas division, I hope it will become part of a Norwegian solution with Statoil," he said, underlining that it was entirely up to Norsk Hydro’s management to take an initiative on this issue.

Socialist Left Party rejects coalition partnership with Christian Democrats (Aftenposten)

"A coalition made up of the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Christian Democrats is quite improbable," said Øystein Djupedal, deputy leader of the Socialist Left Party, adding to the confusion which already reigns about who is prepared to cooperate with whom. Mr Djupedal confirmed today that he does not want the Christian Democrats to participate in a new coalition partnership. "We cannot be naïve. The Christian Democrats are currently in office alongside two other parties. I do not think they will switch partners during this parliamentary term. It is almost impossible to imagine that one party would be promiscuous enough to jump from one bed to another," said Mr Djupedal. He also poured cold water on those who believe that after fighting each other for 40 years the Labour Party and the Socialist Left Party can suddenly resolve all the differences between them. "There is no political platform, ‘plan’ or manifesto for a coalition government after the 2005 election – not even locked away in a drawer," he said.

Christian Democrats troubled by Government’s regional policy (Dagsavisen)

Being in office is giving Bible-bashing Christian Democrats severe qualms of conscience. The Government’s regional policy is so bad that they feel they will soon have to beg forgiveness for having lied during the election campaign. Thou shalt not lie – not even during an election campaign. At any rate that is the feeling of some Christian Democrat branch chairmen, and voters. That is why they are having difficulty accepting that the Government is pursuing a regional policy which they feel reduces the level of services provided and reduces the power of the local councils. They are having trouble defending the party’s participation in the Government. Last week the vast majority of Christian Democrat branch chairmen announced publicly that they were in favour of a partnership with the Labour Party. The Government’s regional policy is their biggest objection to the party’s collaboration with the Conservatives.

SAS flying high on Braathens’ wings (Dagens Næringsliv)

Braathens is proving to be something of a cash cow for SAS. SAS paid around NOK 900 million for its former competitor, but that investment could be repaid as early as the end of this year. SAS has cut the number of departures and coordinated the two companies’ schedules in Norway. As a result Braathens made a profit of SEK 444 million after just six months. And that is only the beginning. However, the success of the Braathens acquisition comes as no surprise to SAS’s management. "We have had faith in this all along. Nevertheless, there is no doubting that it has been an extremely profitable move for us," said deputy chief executive Gunnar Reitan. Employees at Braathens have noted the company’s good results. This autumn could see some tough negotiating between Braathens employees and SAS.

Call for more cheap airline tickets (Dagbladet)

The Consumer Ombudsman and the Consumer Council are tired of the airlines tempting passengers with cheap tickets, which are sold out. The airlines could be forced to offer a minimum number of cheap seats per plane. From 15 August SAS is offering return flights between cities in southern Norway for NOK 692. "That is just to grab people’s attention. The vast majority of passengers will have to pay far more for their tickets. We are thinking of introducing rules for how many cheap tickets there must be for each departure before the airlines will be allowed to advertise the offer," said Consumer Ombudsman Bjørn Erik Thon.

Christian Democrat supporters back Israeli settlers (Klassekampen)

A number of leading Christian Democrats have lent their support to an ongoing appeal for donations on behalf of Israeli occupiers in Palestinian areas. The appeal is being organized by the Christian-Zionist Karmel Institute. The Norwegian Church Ministry of Israel has warned in Vårt Land against donating money to this appeal, and not everyone Klassekampen has spoken to was wholly supportive of it. MP Einar Holstad was more doubtful. "The people in these settlements are in mortal danger. It is not safe to encourage people to live there," was his objection. However, he also believes that there will be no peace in the Middle East if more and more settlements are created – given the way the Israeli occupiers are received by the Palestinians.

Angry Siv Jensen promises tax war (Verdens Gang)

The Progress Party’s Siv Jensen is furious that the Christian Democrats intend to stop new and substantial tax cuts for next year – and promises to turn this autumn’s budget negotiations into a nightmare. "I am extremely surprised, and consider the situation increasingly serious," an irate Ms Jensen told VG. "Let me be plain. This autumn’s budget negotiations will be as tough as they get. We will not be giving anything away, to put it mildly," she said. "I would like to remind people what the basis for this government is. One of our major reasons for supporting this government was the promise of cuts in direct and indirect taxation. If they start messing around with that, it will make the budget negotiations difficult, to put it mildly," she said.

Worth Noting

• The value of seafood exports fell by NOK 1.6 billion or 9 per cent from January to July, compared with the same period last year, though volumes remained the same. Exports of cod fell by over NOK 400 million during the first half of the year. Most of the losses are due to the strength of the Norwegian krone. So far this year seafood exports have totalled NOK 15.6 billion.
  (Aftenposten)
• Recent figures show a dramatic rise in the number debt recovery proceedings being initiated, particularly against young people between the ages of 18 and 24. As many as 68 per cent more young people shop themselves onto the blacklist as a bad credit risk.
  (Dagbladet)
• "The introduction of a tax on lottery winnings is out of the question," said Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss (Con) in an interview with the radio station, P4. The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has ordered Norway to ensure that prizes won on Norwegian and foreign lotteries are taxed alike. Mr Foss said that the ESA’s directive must be interpreted such that winnings in Norway will continue to be tax-free.
  (NTB)
• Last year Kjell Inge Røkke’s shipyard group, Aker Yards, borrowed a massive NOK 750 million from Norwegian banks to pay an extraordinary dividend to Mr Røkke’s wholly-owned company, Aker RGI.
  (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The Oslo area is Scandinavia’s best business region, and Norway has a larger proportion of growth companies than our neighbours, according to a review of over 500,000 Scandinavian companies carried out by the international firm of auditors Deloitte & Touche.
  (Dagsavisen)
• Just over 6,000 children were taken away from their parents last year. Drug addiction, crime and violence has led an increasing number of teenagers to be placed in children’s homes, and the number of emergency cases has exploded in several counties. This is the conclusion after Aftenposten contacted all the country’s county child welfare offices.
  ( Aftenposten)
• From 1 September cows must carry a passport when they leave the farm. Norway must introduce such passports in order for the Norwegian cattle register to be approved by the EU. Farmers have described the scheme as a meaningless waste of time and money.
  (Nationen)

Today’s comment from Dagsavisen

The USA is trying to pressurize Norway into signing an agreement not to hand over US citizens to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague. Norway has been at the forefront of efforts to create this court, which the Foreign Ministry has described as a milestone in international law. To sign a bilateral agreement with the USA which would undermine the court’s authority almost before it has started work would be quite unacceptable – and a complete reversal of Norway’s policy up until now. For Norway it should be easy to respond to the USA’s proposal. This is a political matter – the USA wants to undermine the ICC – and the response should therefore be political. The Foreign Ministry says the issue will be carefully examined within the framework of Norway’s international law obligations. Norway has agreed to abide by the ICC’s statutes, and that must take precedence. Foreign Minister Jan Petersen has on several occasions been criticized for not having an independent policy with regard to the USA. The temporary immunity granted to the USA by the UN Security Council after it threatened to veto the peacekeeping forces in Bosnia and Kosovo was thought by many to be a demonstration of subservience in the face of the world’s only superpower. Mr Petersen now has a unique opportunity to show that he is not the USA’s poodle. Mr Petersen will have broad political support for taking a firm stand. Norway’s task is to strengthen the ICC, not weaken it.