The Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Oslo Press Division

Norway Daily No. 80/00

Date: 26 April 2000

HÅGENSEN’S APPEAL NOT WELL RECEIVED (Dagsavisen)

This is the most pretentious nonsense I have heard in a long time, says union leader Per Østvold, head of the Norwegian Union of Transport Workers, referring to parts of Yngve Hågensen’s description of the negotiation compromise. Mr. Hågensen stated, among other things, that there were strategic decisions behind the expansion of the agreement period. Like other union leaders, Mr. Østvold rejects this aspect of Mr. Hågensen’s description. In a two-hour performance yesterday, Mr. Hågensen presented the case for the compromise, but his message may have come too late. Union members will cast their ballots today and tomorrow, and a general strike may be the outcome. Rumours leaked from the tallying committee indicate that a strike is likely. The vote will be published on Friday, and if the outcome of the ballot calls for it, the strike will begin on 3 May.

REBELS CONFIDENT (Klassekampen)

Opposition to the compromise settlement is overwhelming among printers and bus drivers in Oslo, and its popularity will hardly be enhanced when it becomes known that LO negotiators accepted lower holiday pay rates for the fifth holiday week they won. Opponents of the compromise are confident that the ballot referendum will result in the rejection of the settlement.

JAGLAND READY TO HALT ASSISTANCE TO ZIMBABWE (Aftenposten)

Norwegian authorities are deeply concerned about the turn of events in Zimbabwe. Continued Norwegian involvement in the country depends on whether the scheduled parliamentary elections are conducted fairly. So far we do not intend to interrupt our long-term development assistance programmes, but we will probably put an added emphasis on democracy and human rights. However, if free and fair elections are not held, it is likely that we will halt our assistance, says Minister of Foreign Affairs Thorbjørn Jagland to Aftenposten.

NEW NORWEGIAN UN CONTINGENT MAY BE FORMED (Verdens Gang)

A year and a half after the Norwegian battalion was taken home, Norwegian troops may once again be assigned to UN duty in the Middle East. With Israel pulling out of the security zone in southern Lebanon, the international peacekeeping force in the area will require reinforcement. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to ask Norway to contribute personnel to a reinforced UNIFIL force. Any request will require a political decision, but our basic attitude is positive, says Ingvard Havnen, press spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

EU TO HOLD ROUND OF GAS TALKS WITH NORWAY (Dagens Næringsliv)

The EU Commission will be in Norway on 3 and 4 May for talks with Norwegian government representatives and oil companies. The subject of these talks will be the future structure of the Norwegian Gas Negotiation Committee (GFU), and Norway’s demand for a five-year transition period for incorporating the gas market directive into Norwegian law. Other energy policy issues are also likely to be discussed.

GOVERNMENT MAIL RECORDS TO BE MADE PUBLIC (Aftenposten)

Government mail records may be opened to the public. A number of news media have had direct access to an electronic mail registry covering 15 government ministries, but an assessment panel sees the potential illegality of granting access only to certain users. Some restrictions may be imposed to protect individual privacy.

OPSETH FEELING CONFIDENT (Dagsavisen)

Former Minister of Transport and Communications Kjell Opseth (Labour) believes the decision to build the Gardermoen shuttle railway would have been taken even if it was known in advance that it would end up costing NOK 10 billion. Mr. Opseth says the rail link was never a matter of discussion and that all calculations pointed to its being capable of turning a profit. He goes on to insist that at the macroeconomic level, there is no doubt that the airport shuttle is worth it.

WORTH NOTING

• European power company executives believe Norwegian power companies stand no chance whatsoever in the emerging European power market. Time is running out for the Norwegian power companies, according to Per Hanstad and Tom Henry Olsen of PriceWaterhouseCoopers. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The Progress Party in Oslo will hold an open-air meeting on 1 May with Carl I. Hagen and Einar Lonstad, an outspoken critic of immigration, as the keynote speakers. This is an obvious provocation. The Progress Party is far from the labour movement’s ideological base and its association with the First of May, says local labour leader Kleiv Fiskvik of the Oslo LO. (Klassekampen)
• One year after Anne Orderud Paust and her parents were found murdered, the police have now concluded their investigation. The police recommendation to the public prosecutor regarding the charges is confidential, but since the preliminary charges against all four suspects have been upheld, it is likely that the police will recommend prosecution of all four for murder or complicity in murder. (Dagsavisen)
• Justice Committee chairman Kristin Krohn Devold says that Norway’s police districts must provide more help to rape victims. She is supported by a working group which will present its report today. (Dagsavisen)
• Internet consultancies are mounting a desperate hunt for persons with the right skills. Listed companies have lost more than 50 per cent of their market value since the onset of the stock market plunge, yet a number of them intend to double their staff within a couple of years. A number of industry observers believe the shortage of qualified personnel will be the biggest obstacle to further growth. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• According to the agricultural budget board’s figures , the income gap between farmers and wage-earners widened by NOK 20,000 while the centrist coalition Government was in power, despite the latter’s pledges to reduce this disparity. (Nationen)
• In order to achieve the target of a 25 per cent noise reduction by 2010, the state is contemplating an excise tax to be levied on tires in proportion to the amount of noise they make. The Norwegian Auto Association calls on the Government to exercise self-control. (Dagsavisen)

TODAY’S COMMENT from Dagens Næringsliv

President Yngve Hågensen of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) made what may have been his final effort in this year’s labour settlement with the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO). A press conference at LO headquarters backed up with full-page ads in newspapers all around the country aimed to convince union members to vote for the recommended settlement. Union members will cast their ballots today and tomorrow, and the results will be announced on Friday. Then, Mr. Hågensen will either be able to breathe a sigh of relief over a successful final settlement before he retires, or he will have to prepare to lead a strike starting next Monday, which also happens to be the 1st of May. If the ballot referendum goes the wrong way, the resulting situation will be interesting. A No vote will not necessarily mean that Mr. Hågensen did a bad job. It could simply be the response of wage-earners to central bank governor Svein Gjedrem’s interest rate increase. If Mr. Gjedrem had showed restraint, life would have been much easier for Mr. Hågensen. Mr. Hågensen, who also sits on Norges Bank’s board of directors, said the interest rate hike was unnecessary and voted against it, effectively distancing himself from it. His alibi is in order, so now he is free to demand some sort of compensation measure to offset the rise in interest rates.