HANDS OFF JENS SAYS ELECTORATE (Nationen)

The majority of the electorate wants the centre alliance parties not to force the Government’s resignation during the budget negotiations which start today. According to an opinion poll carried out by Din Mening/Norsk Statistikk, 50.3 per cent of those polled said that Christian Democrat leader Kjell Magne Bondevik should not force Prime Minister Stoltenberg’s resignation. The Christian Democrats are in favour of replacing Jens, but not the Liberals or Centre Party supporters. Hill Marta Solberg, deputy leader of the Labour Party, says that this opinion poll shows that the electorate supports both the Government’s policies and a budget alliance with the centre parties.

TAX CONFUSION (Dagsavisen)

There is complete confusion among the centre parties over taxation. The Liberals and the Centre Party cannot even manage to agree on whether they agree about the proposed new dividend tax. "We agree that there should be a tax on dividends," says Centre Party chairman Odd Enoksen. But the Liberals say the exact opposite. "We have persuaded the Centre Party that a dividend tax is not a good solution," says Liberal finance spokesman, Terje Johansen yesterday. And that is a position from which he will not budge.

READY TO TAKE OVER (Dagbladet)

"If Labour does not want to shoulder its responsibilities and negotiate its way to a budget compromise, someone else must take over," says Einar Steensnæs, parliamentary leader of the Christian Democrats. However, he is at pains to underline that what the centre alliance parties are primarily looking for is a budget solution. "But that means Labour has to cooperate. They have to understand the seriousness of the situation. Our demands are clear and wide-ranging. We are not talking about mere window dressing. We will require some meaningful changes in the budget," says Mr Steensnæs.

DEFENCE CHIEF PROPOSES CLOSURE OF INTERNAL WATCHDOG (Aftenposten)

The Armed Forces’ internal auditing department has turned a critical gaze on the way things are run, and pointed out structural weaknesses, poor budget management and "information filtering". Now Defence Chief, Lt. Gen. Sigurd Frisvold, is proposing to transfer all the department’s staff. This move has been explained as a necessary improvement in efficiency, but armed forces staff organizations have reacted strongly. Peter A. Moe, from the Norwegian Officers Association, believes the move is "unwise".

990 IN HIDING (Dagsavisen/Sunday)

For various reasons 990 people are living in hiding in Norway. A large number of these are women on the run from their ex-husbands. Some men use hired thugs to find the women. Despite the authorities giving them anonymity in the country’s various public registers, a surprising number of these women are tracked down by their ex-husbands.

HELD BACK INFORMATION ON SKY-HIGH EMISSION LEVELS (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

Petroleum and Energy Minister Olav Akselsen failed to disclose that he is in possession of reports showing that gas-fired power stations will probably have the highest CO2 emissions in Europe. Only information that supported the Government’s view was included in the Ministry’s memo on the issue. The memo is dated 26 June this year and provided a large part of the basis for the Government’s decision to allow Naturkraft to build two gas-fired power stations in western Norway without equipment to reduce CO2 emissions.

BILLIONS LOST (Verdens Gang/Saturday)

Kjell Inge Røkke claims that Kværner chief executive Kjell Almskog may have let a profit of up to NOK 3 billion slip through his fingers. According to Mr Røkke, Kværner could have bought part of Aker Maritime in June. Now Mr Røkke is selling the same business for twice the price. This weekend Mr Røkke completed negotiations for the sale of Aker Martime’s deep-sea business for almost NOK 6 billion to Coflexip Stena Offshore.

RØKKE’S VISION A FICTION (Aftenposten)

"If Aker Maritime sells its deep-sea business, the industrial vision that Kjell Inge Røkke likes to show off with will be revealed as little more than a fiction," says Christian Bjelland, Kværner’s chairman. The relationship between Aker Maritime’s chairman and majority shareholder Kjell Inge Røkke and Kværner chairman Christian Bjelland is approaching boiling point.

WORTH NOTING

1. Last year only three of the 656 cases referred to the police’s Complaints Investigation Bureau (SEFO) ended in charges being brought. The leader of the Oslo Police Officers’ Association is concerned that public confidence in the police will be eroded if SEFO remains the only channel for complaints in the future. (Dagbladet)
2. Ninety-six remand prisoners were detained illegally in police custody during the first-half of this year. The figure for the whole of 1999 was 29. "The increase is dramatic and worrying," says lawyer Fridtjof Feydt. (Dagbladet/Sunday)
3. If journalist Stein Viksveen, who has been charged with espionage, is to be brought to trial it will not be before next year – and probably not before the autumn. Mr Viksveen will therefore have to live with an inhuman level of pressure for yet another year. (Verdens Gang)
4. According to economic policy spokesman Per-Kristian Foss, the Conservatives are proposing tax relief for people earning less than NOK 200,000. (Dagbladet/Sunday)
5. The Norwegian Postal Administration is to establish a chain of 330 shops to sell books, music, cell phones, office supplies, videos and certain financial services. The majority of shops will be located in remodelled post offices. (Dagens Næringsliv)
6. If the sale of Aker Maritime’s deep-sea business goes ahead, companies controlled by Kjell Inge Røkke have NOK 5 billion in the bank which can be used for new acquisition raids. (Verdens Gang)
7. Before the end of the year, Norwegian hospitals will have accumulated a total deficit of NOK 828 million. This is almost twice as much as last year. (Aftenposten/Saturday)
8. The Norwegian retail wine and spirits monopoly, Vinmonopolet, is today starting a campaign to put an end to adults buying alcohol on behalf of under-age drinkers. One in three customers currently purchases alcohol for consumption by minors. (Nationen)
9. Labour party veteran Reiulf Steen’s new book "Earthquake" contains stinging criticism of his own party and of current prime minister Jens Stoltenberg. "The Labour movement is heading for its most serious crisis ever, and all they do is take a valium and wait for it to pass."

TODAY’S COMMENT FROM DAGSAVISEN

Labour and the centre alliance parties are due to meet this afternoon for their first round of negotiations on next year’s budget. Judging from the comments made prior to the meeting, it will be no easy task. Both the Government and the centre parties must make some painful concessions if they are to achieve a budget compromise in time. It is politically impossible for Labour to go to the Conservatives for support on the proposed budget. So if the Government does not find a solution with the centre, it will probably have to resign. That will be the second change of government this year. The Storting has no great desire for a new government this autumn. None of the parties – not even Carl I. Hagen’s Progress Party – is gunning for the Government. It seems as though the Storting is content to wait until the voters have had their say at next year’s general elections before embarking on the search for a new government. This means that the budget negotiations may go more smoothly than appears likely at the outset. The Prime Minister has indicated his keen desire to reach a compromise. That is a good starting point for the negotiations. Instead of punishing the Labour Party for forcing it out of office in March, the centre alliance should remember Labour’s willingness to support the Bondevik government last autumn. The budget compromise then was good for both parties – and the country.

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