Links to Norway (Dagbladet/Saturday)

The National Police Security Service (POT) has started its own investigations into claims of a link between last week’s terrorist attacks in the USA and Norway. The intelligence service has received several pieces of information indicating that there may be a connection between the attacks and Norway. However, Stein Vale, deputy head of the POT, has underlined that the police have not confirmed the existence of any such link. Following last Tuesday’s attacks, several people have voluntarily contacted the POT with information.

Jagland sowed doubt on Norway’s support for USA (Aftenposten/Saturday)

Leading Norwegian politicians have clearly expressed themselves in such a hazy way that doubts have been cast on Norway’s support for the USA in Nato. Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland and Defence Minister Bjørn Tore Godal were yesterday left putting out fires in an attempt to prevent the whole world, and in particular the USA, being left with the impression that Norway was not fully behind Nato’s support for the USA.

Conservatives go for compromise (Aftenposten/Saturday)

Efforts to find a compromise political platform for a new coalition government are now in full swing. The Conservative Party leadership have "noted" the Christian Democrats’ wish-list, but will save their own demands until the negotiations proper get under way. The party has appointed a negotiating team, in the shape of Jan Petersen, Per-Kristian Foss and Inge Lønning. And it looks as though there will be a monumental tug-of-war over the most senior post.

Sponheim wants to join coalition (Aftenposten)

Liberal Party chairman Lars Sponheim believes a government including Liberal representatives will last the full four years. But the party’s executive committee has serious doubts. This afternoon, the Liberals’ executive committee will meet to decide whether the party should accept the invitation to join a coalition issued by both the Conservatives and the Christian Democrats. Mr Sponheim believes the Liberals should have three ministers in a new government. This seems more attractive than being exiled to the back benches as a two-man opposition group with Odd Einar Dørum.

Battle over ministerial posts (Dagens Næringsliv/Saturday)

The scene is set for a battle of the titans between Kjell Magne Bondevik and Jan Petersen over who should become prime minister. The Conservatives have received a huge number of phone calls from people protesting against letting Kjell Magne Bondevik become prime minister. "I think it is natural for the largest party to take the leading role in a coalition government," said Mr Petersen himself yesterday. The Christian Democrat candidate for prime minister – the wild card in the electoral pack – emphasized in an interview with Dagens Næringsliv that the forthcoming talks with the Conservatives are not guaranteed to succeed. "They may, but then again they may not," said Mr Bondevik.

Union boss calls for debate on break with Labour Party (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

Kjell Bjørndalen, leader of the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions, has called for a debate on whether the Labour Party has anything to gain from breaking its close ties to the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO). "The Labour Party must exist for the benefit of as broad a section of the population as possible. The support for the Labour Party among the LO’s members does not reflect what the party has done for the union movement. I am not saying that the LO should break with the Labour Party, but that the Labour Party must have the right to discuss whether it is getting a fair return for its participation in the partnership. I would not like to get in the way of an open and unbiased discussion about the day-to-day political partnership," said Mr Bjørndalen.

SAS warns of further cutbacks ahead (Dagens Næringsliv)

SAS’s profits will be severely affected by the recent terrorist attacks in the USA. Six days ago the company issued a profit warning, saying that this year’s results would be SEK 300 million weaker than last year. SAS chief executive Jørgen Lindegaard is warning today that a further downturn is on the horizon. According to Mr Lindegaard, the company will now make a complete assessment of its traffic requirements, and all the indications point to SAS making further cuts in its flight schedules.

Worth Noting

• Bishop Gunnar Stålsett yesterday called on world leaders to convene an extraordinary session of the UN’s General Assembly to discuss terrorism. "As a member of the Security Council, Norway should propose a meeting to discuss this issue. It would also give the world the time it needs to avoid any rash actions being taken, and a irreversible pattern of war being established," said Bishop Stålsett.
• Regional and agricultural policy could derail a coalition partnership between the Conservatives and the Christian Democrats. "The Christian Democratic Party wishes to pursue a different agricultural policy than the Conservatives," said Einar Steensnæs, deputy leader of the Christian Democratic Party. (Nationen/Saturday)
• Liberal leader Lars Sponheim has concluded four years of centre alliance partnership by pronouncing a merciless verdict on his ex-colleagues in the Centre Party. Mr Sponheim claimed the Centre Party is suffering from a chronic fear of the future. "The Liberals were incredibly lucky with the election result. If Mr Sponheim had reached the four per cent threshold, he would have been obliged to continue as a member of the centre alliance," said Centre Party leader Odd Roger Enoksen. (Verdens Gang)
• In the agricultural sector, 96 per cent of wages and returns on equity are financed by government subsidies, according to new calculations by the Central Bureau of Statistics. In other words, farmers would be practically penniless if they did not get the subsidies they currently receive. (Nationen)
• Oil prices are too high, and should come down to USD 18 a barrel to prevent a major crisis in the world economy. And OPEC is responsible, according to Tor Stein, chief economist with the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO), and professor Øystein Nordeng of the Norwegian School of Management. (Dagens Næringsliv/Saturday)
• The Norwegian Competition Authority wishes to decide when and where Braathens and SAS shall fly in Norway in order to create a "healthy" competitive situation in the Norwegian domestic airline market. (Dagbladet)
• The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) has written to the Government threatening that local authorities will have to spend NOK 3.5 billion which had been earmarked for welfare measures to pay the pensions of local authority employees. The reallocation of funds has been made necessary by the fall in stock market prices and losses incurred by the local authorities’ pension fund managers, the KLP and other funds. (Aftenposten)
• Norwegian youngsters do not get enough sleep and start every single week suffering from "jet lag". By the time they are 11, Norwegian youngsters have a chronic sleep deficit, according to a WHO report. (Dagsavisen)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

The Government is proposing to give the Immigration Directorate (UDI) an additional NOK 281 million, because the large number of people seeking asylum has led to more work for both the police and the UDI. If the influx of asylum-seekers keeps up at today’s pace, Norway will have to cope with around 16,000 applicants this year. This is twice as many as previously estimated. We know that there are already thousands of cases waiting to be processed in the UDI’s files. The situation has been so bad that the UDI was put under external investigation. The conclusions of that investigation were so grave that the UDI’s former chief executive, Petter Drefvelin, chose to resign. His successor, Trygve G. Nordby, should have better working conditions. Not least out of consideration for the asylum-seekers who must wait for months or even years before their case is processed. The additional funding is obviously necessary, and should be politically uncontroversial.