The Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Oslo Press Division

Norway Daily No. 72/00

Date: 11 April 2000

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE POSSIBLE IN LILLESTRØM STATION (Aftenposten)

The National Rail Administration is concerned that the Lillestrøm railway station may have sustained severe damage in connection with the propane tanker fire and the efforts to put out the fire. The constant spray of water may have undermined the trackbed, in which case the tracks must be dismantled and a new trackbed prepared. There has been some delay in the removal of the trains involved in the accident. The station may be open for the airport shuttle train and other through traffic to pass, but local rail traffic will have to wait a while longer.

CASH BENEFITS DRAIN LABOUR POOL (Aftenposten)

According to an analysis performed by Statistics Norway on the impact of the cash benefits scheme, around 4000 man-years of labour have disappeared from the labour pool as a result of the cash benefits scheme, though some workers would have cut down on their work time even without cash benefits. Most of the loss is registered in health care, schools and day care institutions. These sectors which have already been struggling to hold on to their labour resources, but now their problems are even greater. Mothers account for most of the reduction in work hours; reductions by fathers are negligible.

ROBBERY MAY EXPLAIN HAUGESUND MURDER (Verdens Gang)

Police believe a 29-year-old mother of two found murdered in her home in Haugesund Sunday night may have surprised a robber. The woman’s ex-husband called the police after discovering a broken basement window when he brought the kids home. The police broke into the house, where they found the murdered woman.

FINNISH INSURER MAY PULL OUT OF JOINT NORDIC INSURANCE COMPANY (Aftenposten)

Storebrand takes the view that Finnish insurer Pohjola does not have the option of pulling out of If—a joint Nordic insurance company formed by the horizontal integration of the property and casualty insurance activities of Storebrand, Skandia and Pohjola. The withdrawal of Pohjola would be a dramatic setback for Storebrand, whose chief executive, Åge Korsvoll, is one of the main architects behind the If project. Pohjola’s general shareholders’ meeting voted on Monday night to reconsider its participation in this project.

EU MEAT CERTIFICATION WORTHLESS (Aftenposten)

A three metric ton shipment of beef imported from Brazil proved to be infected with salmonella. The shipment was certified salmonella-free after being inspected in the Netherlands according to EU procedures, yet 18 out of 28 samples tested positive for salmonella upon inspection in Norway. The EEA Agreement provides for the free movement of meat in the European Economic Area, but special terms negotiated by Norway require imported meat to be officially certified free from salmonella. Norway systematically inspects meat imports to check the reliability of these certifications, and the veterinary authorities observe that this practice is justified.

PERFECT SETTING FOR ROYAL VISIT FROM JORDAN (Aftenposten)

Mutual warmth and mild weather set the tone upon the arrival of King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan in Oslo on Monday. Her Majesty charmed everyone she met, while His Majesty took the opportunity to express the importance of Norway’s support for Jordan. Jordan wishes to continue as a stabilizing element in the region. King Abdullah feels the need for this type of support from countries like Norway has never been greater.

WORTH NOTING

• Norway may have to deal with a major strike in three weeks. The conflict will escalate sharply if the recommendation in the private sector is turned down in the ballot referendum. (Verdens Gang)
• The political barometer for April taken by Norsk Gallup for Verdens Gang and TV2 clearly indicates that Norwegian voters are focussing exclusively on Kjell Magne Bondevik and Jens Stoltenberg for the moment. The Christian Democrats are up 6 points to 15.5 per cent while Labour is up 3 points to 35.5 per cent. The Conservatives are down 5 points to 14 per cent and the Progress Party is down 4 points to 16 per cent. The Socialist Left is up 1.5 points to 10 per cent, the Liberals down 1.5 points to 3 per cent, and the Centre Party down 0.5 points to 4.5 per cent. (Verdens Gang)
• Per-Kristian Foss may leave the Storting and politics for good if he is not voted in as chairman of the Conservative Party at the national convention in May. This has been confirmed for Verdens Gang by very reliable sources closely acquainted with Mr. Foss’s actual views on the internal party leadership debate. Mr. Foss declines to comment. (Verdens Gang)
• A defence study released by the Chief of Defence Staff proposes a ten-year delay in the purchase of 20 new fighter jets. This procurement has been approved by the Storting. The Eurofigher Group and Lockheed Martin have been competing with each other for this lucrative contract for a long time. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The Storting commemorated on Monday the late MP Jan Johnsen, who lost his life in a tragic swimming accident in Costa Rica on Saturday. The remainder of yesterday’s session of the Storting was then postponed until later this week. (Dagsavisen)
• Once they go online, senior citizens use the Internet nearly as much as youngsters. Internet access among persons over the age of 67 has more than doubled in the past year and a half, according to a survey taken by Norsk Gallup for the Government Information Service. (NTB)

TODAY’S COMMENT from Aftenposten

Nearly half the funding allocated by the Storting towards mental health measures was not spent last year. Aftenposten’s examination of the accounts of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs shows that 42.3 per cent of the 1999 allocation, or NOK 108.2 million, had not been disbursed. Children and teenagers with mental problems are particularly affected. According to the Ministry, 90 per cent of the unused funds may be put down to delays in the launching of county investment projects. One should be careful about drawing unwarranted conclusions, but the figures reinforce the Government’s declaration of the necessity of a closer examination of the official system, particularly the county administrations. The fact that so much of the resources allocated are not being used confirms that the fundamental problem of the Norwegian health system is its inability to utilize the resources actually available. The Government’s role in this situation must be to give the health care system the proper conditions for putting what it actually has to good use.