The Royal Ministry Of Foreign Affairs,
Oslo Press Division

Norway Daily No. 68/00

Date: 5 April 2000

FIRE STARTED IN UNION LEADER’S HOME (Aftenposten)

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) president Yngve Hågensen’s house caught fire yesterday. The fire was quickly brought under control, but smoke and soot have caused extensive damage. Mr. Hågensen and his wife were in South Africa, but they cut their visit short to return home as quickly as possible. A man who bought grill lighter fluid and lamp oil two hours before the fire started was being sought by the police last night.

POLITICAL MOTIVES FEARED (Dagsavisen)

Party leaders are concerned that the attempt to burn down Yngve Hågensen’s home was politically motivated, and that the incident may presage a nasty turn in Norway’s political climate. The possibility of arson here is disturbing. It is a matter of deepest concern that the same sort of neo-Nazi violence that has spread in Sweden could gain a foothold in Norway, but it is important to avoid contributing to speculations, says Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland. When something like this happens to someone as prominent as Yngve Hågensen, it certainly does create a general feeling of unease, says Conservative Party chairman Jan Petersen.

BONDEVIK TAKES POLITICAL THREAT SERIOUSLY (Verdens Gang)

Kjell Magne Bondevik has been on his guard against political terror in Norway. As long as he was prime minister, he was kept informed of the domestic terrorist potential. I take this quite seriously, considering the threats received by Mr. Hågensen. I will not draw any conclusions before the police have brought all the facts to light, however, says Mr. Bondevik.

AIRPORT SAFETY INCOMPATIBLE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS (Aftenposten)

Gardermoen Airport cannot maintain an adequate level of safety within the framework of current environmental standards. Larger quantities of various chemicals are necessary for de-icing runways, taxiways and aprons. We must find out what we can do within the national guidelines. If we cannot grant the requests of the aviation authorities without violating our guidelines, we will have to take the matter to the Ministry of the Environment, says Director-General Håvard Holm of the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT).

CENTRE PREFERS LABOUR TO CONSERVATIVES (Dagsavisen)

Centre Party chairman Odd Roger Enoksen discounts any possibility of taking part in a coalition government with the Conservative Party in the coming electoral term. He could consider a coalition with Labour, however, but only if Labour shelves the EU membership issue. This is the first time Mr. Enoksen has stated clearly that a coalition with the Conservatives is out of the question for the foreseeable future.

GREEN LIGHT FOR BANK MERGER (Dagens Næringsliv)

Minister of Finance Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen is open for a merger between Den norske Bank and Kreditkassen, despite the fact that Labour’s former finance policy spokeswoman, Hill-Marta Solberg, rejected the issue only a month ago. When I say I will wait for a statement from the Government Bank Investment Fund, it means that I do not want to make any statement at this time as to whether a merger is completely out of the question, says Mr. Schjøtt-Pedersen.

WORTH NOTING

• It is to be expected that I will devote considerable resources towards clearing up an arson attempt against the home of Norway’s most prominent labour leader, says Minister of Justice Hanne Harlem. (Dagbladet)
• Labour Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland wants to completely reform Norway’s administrative organization, replacing the present system of counties with autonomous regions. We envisage a system in which the counties and county governors are replaced with regions much larger than today’s counties, writes Mr. Jagland. (Dagsavisen)
• Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who served as Thorbjørn Jagland’s Minister of Finance, will not be called to testify in an open hearing on the National Hospital. Instead, Mr. Stoltenberg and former Finance Minister Gudmund Restad (Centre) will testify in a closed hearing held by the Storting’s scrutiny committee. (NTB)
• Ranveig Frøiland, who succeeded Grete Knudsen in the Storting’s Standing Committee on Education, Research and Church Affairs, is sceptical to Ms. Knudsen’s proposal that Labour should base its policies on Christian cultural values. (Vårt Land)
• The new Government has engaged one of Norway’s best international politicians to promote Norway’s candidacy to the UN Security Council. Thorvald Stoltenberg, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and father of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, will attend the South Summit in Cuba next week where 130 nations will be represented. (Aftenposten)
• The National Library has a new storage facility, but the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has scaled down its plans. Those who designed the new facility had not reckoned with the books added each year, so the National Library will have to lease an additional 3,000 sq. metres before even moving in. (Aftenposten)
• The snows that should have fallen in January have now come. The Blindern weather station recorded 21 cm of snowfall on Monday and Tuesday.

TODAY’S COMMENT from Dagsavisen

There are clear indications that yesterday’s fire in the home of labour leader Yngve Hågensen was an act of arson, and the police are taking the matter quite seriously. Fortunately, the family was not at home when it occurred, but no one knows if the arsonist knew. Mr. Hågensen received a threat in the mail in February from someone in neo-Nazi circles, and he was not the only union leader targeted. This time, the police must find the culprit, and it would be a great relief if it turned out that neo-Nazis had nothing to do with it. After all, the entire situation would be much easier to deal with if the fire turned out to be the work of a confused lunatic rather than a Nazi fanatic.