The Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo
Press Division – Editor: Mette S. Øwre

Norway Daily No. 162/02

Date: 28 August 2002

Thorbjørn blames Jens (Dagsavisen)

Thorbjørn Jagland blames Jens Stoltenberg for the Labour Party’s poor showing at the last general election. "I am pretty sure that I would have been re-elected as party leader if I had been standing," added Mr Jagland, outgoing Labour chairman. The surprisingly fierce criticism of his successor came in an interview with TV2, to be screened tonight. Mr Jagland believes that the last two general election results show clearly that the Labour Party did not have any communication problems under his leadership. "The great communicator was brought into the picture. We got 25 per cent of the vote. I got 35 per cent," said Mr Jagland. Jens Stoltenberg declined to comment.

Furious over Jagland’s comments on Labour leadership (NTB)

Labour MP Knut Storberget has attacked outgoing party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland for his comments on the Labour Party’s leadership style in an interview with TV2. Mr Storberget has reacted strongly to the fact that interpersonal conflict has once again become the Labour Party’s main focus. "It makes me desolate and not a little furious. It now looks as though the entire Labour Party is more concerned to secure power within the party rather than pursuing political goals. We are living in an age when the political situation is calling out for our help, and that is what we need to focus on," he said in an interview with NRK.

Hanssen: Let Thorbjørn have his say (Dagbladet)

Bjarne Håkon Hanssen, who was one of Jens Stoltenberg’s closest allies throughout his battle for the Labour leadership, has said he feels Thorbjørn Jagland must be allowed to have his say. "Mr Jagland needs to say these things. If you are asking whether it will damage the Labour Party, I do not think so. I think people in Norway agree that for years Thorbjørn has been one of the politicians who have been given the hardest time and put under the greatest amount of pressure. They will understand that he feels the need to get things off his chest. But it does not mean that I agree with everything he says," said Mr Hanssen.

Will quit Labour if gender issue not resolved (Verdens Gang)

A number of high-profile Labour women have threatened to quit the party if Labour’s annual conference does not vote two women onto the leadership team. "Jens must now come out and say what he feels about this issue. It is not a matter of interpreting the intention behind the 40 per cent rule, and deciding if it applied to the leadership team. The party either means that it should be like this, or it does not," said Gro Balas. Former State Secretary and Gender Equality Ombud, Anne Lise Ryel, agrees. "Having a balance between the sexes in the leadership team should go without thinking. It is incredible that this issue has generated such intense debate. Jens needs to clarify his position now," she said.

LO demands salary freeze for senior executives (Dagens Næringsliv)

Gerd-Liv Valla, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) has promised that her organization will once again contribute to wage moderation. But she wants something in return from both the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) and the Government. "I challenge the NHO to freeze senior executive pay for one year. The Government must postpone all tax cuts for the rich and double the permissible tax deduction for union membership dues," said Ms Valla at a press conference yesterday. At the same time she strongly defended this year’s round of wage rises. She also made it clear that she feels employees in the industrial sector should once again be the country’s highest paid workers.

NHO leader: Impossible to freeze executive salaries (Verdens Gang)

Finn Bergesen, chief executive of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) has rejected union president Gerd-Liv Valla’s call for a one year freeze on executive salaries. "Ms Valla knows as well as I do that the NHO does not set executive salaries. That is something which is decided by each company’s board of directors," he said. Nor were any of the chief executives VG talked to yesterday willing to freeze their own salaries.

Mullah Krekar issues threat to Norway (NTB)

In an interview shown on NRK’s documentary programme, Brennpunkt, yesterday, Kurdish refugee to Norway Mullah Krekar issued a barely concealed threat to Norway. "Norwegian society is a civilized society, a polite society, a society which is a long way away from wars and conflicts. I do not want them to participate in the American front line, so that they do not suffer at a later date," said Krekar in an interview which took place in the village of Bierra in northern Iraq in April this year.

Krekar under surveillance for long period (Aftenposten)

"There is more than enough documentation to prove that Mullah Krekar has committed blatant violations of Norwegian asylum legislation," said Local Government and Regional Affairs Minister Erna Solberg. She points to the fact that a Norwegian refugee passport does not give the holder the right to return to the country from which he or she has fled. "It is also worth remembering that when Mullah Krekar applied for Norwegian citizenship he was turned down on the grounds that he had not spent enough time in Norway. I would like to say that there is no basis for the assertion that the Norwegian authorities did not know about Mullah Krekar. He has been under surveillance, and people in Norway must not feel concerned that they have been exposed to any danger," she said.

Foss has lost one whole pre-school nursery package (Aftenposten)

By the end of the year the Government Petroleum Fund will probably be more than NOK 100 billion smaller than previously anticipated. That means Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss will have at least NOK 4 billion less to play with in his 2003 budget. Mr Foss could have used this money to reduce the cost of a pre-school nursery place to NOK 1,500 per month for those children who currently have a place. Alternatively, he could have halved the duty on alcoholic beverages or petrol tax.

Worth Noting

• The battle for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party could be decided well before the party’s annual conference in November. Gerd-Liv Valla, who chairs the party’s selection committee, says that the committee members will decide the matter themselves. "We have no deadlines, and frame the selection process in the way we think best," she said.
  (Aftenposten)
• Gerd-Liv Valla, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and leader of the Labour Party’s selection committee, has declared that neither Trond Giske nor the other male candidates for the deputy leader position can be forced to withdraw in favour of a woman.
  (Dagbladet)
• The Conservatives, Christian Democrats and Liberals have jointly lost 220,000 voters since the general election a year ago, according to an opinion poll carried out by Sentio-Norsk Statistikk. The Christian Democrats’ decline continues, and support for the party has never been so low. The Socialist Left Party leaps forward by 4.6 percentage points. Despite a 4.2 point slide the Progress Party remains the country’s largest party.
  (Nationen)
• The Labour Party’s North Trøndelag branch will not allow Bjarne Håkon Hanssen to withdraw his candidacy for the party’s deputy leadership so that a woman can have the job.
  (NTB)
• The upcoming budget process could be a complete nightmare for Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. The Conservatives have got their hands on huge sums of money for tax cuts, and disastrous figures for the Government Petroleum Fund could mean the Christian Democrats’ key policies will have to be abandoned.
  (Dagbladet)
• Norsk Hydro’s chief executive, Eivind Reiten, launched a fierce attack yesterday on the different treatment given to Norwegian and German energy companies by the EU. Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik could follow up by raising the issue with the EU.
  (Aftenposten)
• Mortgage rates here at home stand at over eight per cent. In Switzerland and Japan you would have to pay three per cent or less. This gap has led many to investigate the possibility of taking out a currency loan. Forget it! At least for the moment. The Norwegian krone is very strong – but its value could quickly drop a little. Currency loans are risky, and if you are going to go for it, you must be prepared to take a loss along the way.
  (Verdens Gang)
• Norwegian families in trouble with the child protection authorities are taking their kids and moving to southern Europe. "In reality we cannot offer any child protection services to the Norwegian youngsters down here. It takes a lot before the Spanish system will intervene," says Kristin Huseby, special needs teacher at the Norwegian school near Alicante in Spain.
  (Vårt Land)
• The Ministry of Agriculture has told its departments to initiate measures to provide Norwegian consumers with better quality potatoes. Increased controls of shops, date stamping and new foreign varieties of potato are among the measures being considered.
  (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Vårt Land

In recent years Norwegian religious denominations have learned much about how to handle cases of sexual abuse. Concealment has been replaced by candour and clear support for those who feel themselves to be the victims of sexual abuse. But much remains to be done before the victims of sexual abuse committed by church officials or employees of Christian organizations can feel confident that they will receive all the help possible from their abuser’s employer. Openness in relation to sexual abuse is both arduous and burdensome. But that does not give the Church the right to say that having come this far it need do no more. We believe that Bishop Odd Bondevik is unfortunately right when he says he fears the 16 such cases which have come to light in recent times are just the tip of the iceberg. Shame and fear undoubtedly stop many victims from revealing what they have been subject to. The climate must be such that victims dare to seek a resolution which will hopefully unleash healing powers. It would also be beneficial if schemes can be set up which encourage the abusers to seek help.