Threatening to force Tampa to leave (Dagsavisen)

The Australian government will probably force the Tampa to leave its territorial waters, despite the fact that parliament last night refused to pass an emergency bill that would legalize such a move. 438 refugees have become hostages in a power struggle in which Australia and Norway blame each other. "Australia is responsible," said Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

Australian seafarers protest (Klassekampen)

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), which represents 10 000 Australian seafarers and dock workers, disagrees totally with the way the Australian government is handling the situation, and has requested the government to provide immediate assistance to the crew of the Tampa. "The Federal Government has demonstrated breathtaking hypocrisy on the matter," said the union’s National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin. "Here we have a government that actively solicits foreign shipping and third world labour to carry Australian cargo between Australian ports in our domestic transport chain, now saying that to protect our national sovereignty we cannot support the seafarers aboard the Tampa," said Mr. Crumlin.

Tampa refuses to leave Australian territorial waters (Aftenposten)

In the view of Captain Arne Rinnan, the Tampa is not seaworthy enough to go back out to sea. The ship is outfitted to accommodate only 30 crew members. Now there are over 500 people on board. According to the Wilh. Wilhelmsen shipping line, 12 people have lost consciousness, many of the children are suffering from diarrhoea, and two pregnant women have had problems. "Negotiations are under way, but we see no change in Australia’s position," said Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Karsten Klepsvik. In Aftenposten’s view, the disgraceful actions of the Australian Government during these dramatic days are the cause of the current desperate humanitarian situation.

Stoltenberg going strong (Dagbladet)

A week and a half before the election, the Conservatives seem to be losing some of their momentum. Jan Petersen’s party has dropped most in today’s poll, carried out by MMI for Dagbladet and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Labour has pushed ahead by 1.1 percentage points and now stands at 27.3 per cent. The Conservatives dropped 4.0 points to 23.4 per cent. The Christian Democrats fell 2.0 points to 11.8 per cent, while the Socialist Left gained 2.7 points and is now supported by 10.3 per cent of the electorate. It is surprising that both Labour and the Conservatives are having problems gaining voter support, when such a large part of the election campaign has revolved around the battle between these two parties.

Labour down, Socialist Left up (Aftenposten)

According to the poll conducted by Opinion today, Labour has dropped by 3.4 percentage points to 24.1 per cent voter support. "The Labour Party will experience its weakest election ever, and the voters will elect the most divided and least effective Storting that has existed since long before World War II," said Aftenposten’s commentator. The Conservatives are losing support, too, while the Socialist Left is rising. The poll was taken after last weekend’s royal wedding.

Wants to revive Centre Party (Nationen)

Anne Enger Lahnstein went from being the queen of the anti-EU movement to a position as Secretary General of the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue. Ms. Lahnstein was responsible for leading the Centre Party and the anti-EU movement to victory in 1994. At that time she was both loved and hated, but today she says that it was a privilege to have been able to accomplish her goal. And even if she will soon be leaving the party, she is very involved in the current election campaign. She will visit 16 counties in the course of a few very hectic weeks.

Røkke dumped his Orkla shares (Dagens Næringsliv)

Yesterday Kjell Inge Røkke dumped all of his shares in Orkla. What’s more, he was in a hurry to do so. The deadline for Orkla Enskilda Securities to sell Mr. Røkke’s 20 million shares was today, but it managed to sell them all yesterday. The final selling price was around NOK 155 per share, which was NOK 12.50 under the closing price the day before. The theory that Mr. Røkke will use the profits to raid Kværner sent Kværner’s shares soaring by five per cent yesterday. But Mr. Røkke and his associates are keeping close about their plans. "We are a private company, and it is a matter of principle that we do not comment on any speculations as to positions, buying or selling," said Aker RGI spokesperson Kaci Kullmann Five.

WORTH NOTING

• Minister of Children and Family Affairs Karita Bekkemellom Orheim’s life has been threatened. For the past few days she has been accompanied by two bodyguards around the clock. The Norwegian Police Security Service regards the death threats against the minister as extremely serious. It is not known who is behind the threats. (Dagsavisen)
• Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg declines to speculate as to whether the success of the royal wedding last weekend led to Labour’s welcome upswing in the opinion polls. "But I am pleased with the latest figures," he said. (Dagbladet)
• Yesterday Statoil and the Polish national oil company POGC entered into an agreement on the sale of Norwegian gas to Poland. The agreement may have a value of nearly NOK 100 billion based on current gas prices. (Aftenposten)
• Kjell Inge Røkke, the billionaire from Molde, may have lost NOK 380 million on his control of around ten per cent of Orkla’s shares in the course of the past year. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Norsk Hydro was preparing to start exploratory drilling for oil in the middle of one of Norway’s richest fishing areas, Røstbanken, off Lofoten. But the government gave in to pressure, and exploration activities were halted immediately. (Dagbladet)
• Jens Ulltveit-Moe has lost NOK 230 million on his shipbuilding activities in Kristiansund, and yesterday he finally gave up. 160 workers will lose their jobs when the Umoe Sterkoder shipyard shuts down. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Norwegian organizations for children and young people are worried about their future. Involvement and enthusiasm are being drowned in an ever-deeper ocean of government bureaucracy. (Vårt Land)
• Norway’s Banking, Insurance and Securities Commission has flatly rejected the offer made by the Finnish financial services company Sampo, but this has made little impression on the EU Commission. Now the Commission is waiting for the results of the general election and the Government’s decision on the matter. (Aftenposten)

TODAY’S COMMENT from Aftenposten:

We’re sorry to say that in the last 24 hours Australia has gained a reputation as an international bully for its handling of the freighter Tampa, which has 438 refugees and asylum-seekers on board. This role is entirely unfitting for a country like Australia, and is of course very harmful to the country’s international standing. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Australian authorities have acted in defiance of international custom and regulations covering emergencies at sea. Norway was drawn into the situation because it was a Norwegian ship that responded most promptly when the Australian Coast Guard requested assistance for the shipwrecked boat full of refugees. We salute the crew of the Tampa, who carried out a top-notch rescue operation. The crew members acted on their obvious duty to assist people in danger at sea. It is just as obvious that the shipwrecked people should be brought to the nearest port and be given the necessary medical and humanitarian assistance, regardless of what becomes of them later. First and foremost the refugees, but also the crew of the Tampa, are victims of an Australian domestic policy in which the fear of immigrants plays a major role. The country’s political leaders cannot use this fear as an excuse to violate international law regarding the treatment of people in need.