Mullah Krekar could be expelled (Aftenposten)

The National Police Security Service and the Immigration Directorate have had Mullah Krekar in their sights for some time. Investigations into the Kurdish guerrilla leader, whose home is now in Oslo, has now been intensified. "The Norwegian authorities have the legal right to expel those suspected of terrorism," said Local Government and Regional Affairs Minister Erna Solberg. Mullah Krekar’s wife denies any connection between her husband and Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. "My husband is in northern Iraq. I have not seen him for a year," she said. Last week the CIA considered bombing Krekar and his group in northern Iraq.

Bondevik under scrutiny (Nationen)

The Foreign Ministry has halted all payments and initiated a comprehensive investigation of the aid organization, Worldview Rights, previously chaired by Kjell Magne Bondevik. Mr Bondevik’s friend, former State Secretary Leiv Lunde, is the organization’s current chairman. In a preliminary report which investigators presented earlier this summer, it is claimed that the suspicion of ‘financial irregularities’ has been strengthened. The organization has received a total of NOK 40 million from the Foreign Ministry. The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) has now also launched an investigation into Arne Fjørtoft and Worldview International.

Lobby expert says Knudsen should have been quarantined (Aftenposten)

"Politicians should be quarantined for a period before they are allowed to become lobbyists. And Grete Knudsen’s recent actions have strengthened that argument," said lobby expert Harald Espeli. As recently as May this year Grete Knudsen publicly rejected proposals for a one-year quarantine for politicians wanting to become lobbyists. Experienced politicians know where to draw the line, she said. Now the Bergen branch of the Labour Party has branded her disloyal for getting her role as politician mixed up with her role as shipyard lobbyist. Hordaland Labour Party is proposing the creation of a ‘Lex Knudsen’ to prevent future ethical lapses.

Labour’s deputy leadership battle (Verdens Gang)

Former State Secretary Roger Ingebrigtsen has lauded Trond Giske, and accused Labour’s leading women politicians of bullying tactics, abuse of power and manipulation. "I think it is manipulative of these women to hide behind the gender equality issue when the fact is that they are really opposed to Trond Giske being elected as the party’s deputy leader. It is an abuse of power and amounts to women employing bullying tactics against a young man," said Mr Ingebrigtsen. "My point is that when you look at which names have been put forward in the deputy leadership debate, I think Trond Giske is far and away the best candidate – both as a communicator, political activist and network builder. So is it reasonable not to elect him simply because he is a man? asks Mr Ingebrigtsen.

NHO begs for financial assistance (Dagsavisen)

"Companies’ competitiveness must be improved before the problems being experienced by the export industry develop into a national crisis," said Siri Bjerke of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO). The NHO is proposing a raft of new measures, including financial assistance and tax relief, to save the more than 50,000 jobs which are currently at risk. Politicians, employers, unions and the Norwegian Central Bank are all blaming each other for the country’s strong currency, high interest rates and this year’s wages hike. Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik is willing to contribute to an emergency deal involving all sides.

DnB advises companies to relocate abroad (Dagens Næringsliv)

Leif Teksum, head of DnB Bedrift, which looks after Den norske Bank’s business customers, does not see much hope for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. DnB advises many business customers to relocate their manufacturing operations abroad. It is primarily the country’s small and medium-sized manufacturing companies which are struggling to cope with conditions in Norway. According to Mr Teksum the largest companies have more resources and have adapted their operations over a long period. They also have a larger proportion of their manufacturing facilities already located abroad.

Shipyard collapse prompts huge state payouts (Verdens Gang)

While real estate mogul Carl Fredrik Seim has made a killing, the state faces a bill which could exceed NOK 30 million following the bankruptcy of the Mjellem & Karlsen shipyard in Bergen. That is how much the Wages Guarantee Fund will have to pay up to cover the salaries owing to the 411 employees made redundant when the youthful Mr Seim put the shipyard into liquidation. The Wages Guarantee Fund provides full pay during the period of notice to which employees are entitled under the Working Environment Act. If those who have been made redundant find new jobs, any income from this source will be deducted from the amount paid out by the Fund.

Worth Noting

• Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik has told the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) that if it wants government help it must get a grip on executive pay levels. The first major debate about possible measure to reduce Norwegian exchange and interest rates and prevent further significant wage rises will take place when Mr Bondevik meets representatives from employers’ organizations and the unions on 9 September.
  (Verdens Gang)
• Ellen Horn and Rune Gerhardsen are slated to become the Labour Party’s new dream team in Oslo. A unanimous selection committee will today propose Ellen Horn as Labour candidate for the capital’s mayor. As reported previously in Dagbladet, Rune Gerhardsen will be proposed as candidate for Chairman of Oslo’s Municipal Executive Board.
  (Dagbladet)
• A Ukrainian television crew yesterday completed a two-day visit to make a film about Norwegian asylum policy. A second Russian crew will probably arrive soon for the same purpose. The Norwegian authorities are offering to cover travel and accommodation expenses for media representatives from those countries whose citizens travel in large numbers to Norway to make bogus asylum claims.
  (Aftenposten)
• The Pensions Commission is due to publish its recommendations on 1 October 2003, but the financial services industry says it cannot wait until then. "It is extremely important to hurry things along. It is very costly to wait," said Arne Skauge of the Norwegian Financial Services Association. He wants a political decision to change the current state pension scheme into a fund based system before Christmas this year.
  (Klassekampen)
• The Progress Party has moved ahead 2.5 percentage points to 26.4 per cent on Opinion’s August opinion poll for Aftenposten. This figure is enough to make it the largest party in the country. Apart from the Progress Party’s gains, Opinion’s poll shows that there have been only relatively small movements among voters during the summer.
  (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

Norway’s tradition of asylum has been abused. Officials at the Immigration Directorate are currently considering whether to revoke Mullah Krekar’s right to asylum in Norway after it became known that he is the leader of an extremist Kurdish guerrilla group in northern Iraq, which probably has links with al-Qaida. The group is responsible for a number of violent attacks, and our recommendation to the Immigration Directorate is for it to conclude that Mullah Krekar no longer has the right to asylum in Norway. The reason is not the yells which will now be heard from anti-immigrant quarters. The reason is that Mullah Krekar himself has violated the trust which the granting of asylum involves. Norway cannot be a safe haven for people who would really prefer to be at war. When someone is granted asylum in Norway, it must be because he or she has left their weapons behind on the battlefield. The message must be – choose war or choose asylum, you cannot have both. Mullah Krekar is an exponent of a trend we could see more of – refugees who are radicalized while in asylum and who feel their real place is fighting the good fight back home. The message to those who are considering returning home to take up arms must be the same as that sent to Mullah Krekar – you either fight a war or accept asylum. The two standpoints are mutually exclusive.