PM: Retaliation in Norway’s interests (Aftenposten)

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg yesterday repeated his assurances of Norway’s full support, both on a political and practical level, for US anti-terrorist actions. "This is about self-defence. This is about each country having the right to use force to prevent itself becoming the victim of the type of attacks the USA has been subject to. It is also in our interests to hit back against such attacks. And we assume that the USA is not interested in retaliating in any way which could pose a threat to world peace," said Mr Stoltenberg after yesterday’s meeting of the Government’s Security Committee.

Liberals want Bondevik (Dagsavisen)

According to the Liberals, Kjell Magne Bondevik should be Norway’s next prime minister. They have also said they want to see this issue resolved before the end of the week. The other major stumbling block for the Liberals is whether Norway should build emission-producing gas-fired power stations. The Liberals’ views were presented at a press conference yesterday to announce the executive committee’s decision to participate in exploratory talks with the Conservatives and the Christian Democrats on the formation of a new non-socialist coalition government.

Jan Petersen’s popularity growing fast (Verdens Gang)

Jan Petersen is rapidly catching up with Kjell Magne Bondevik as the people’s favourite in the battle to become prime minister. 47 per cent of voters want Mr Bondevik, while 40 per cent say they would prefer Mr Petersen. "I think this is a very pleasing result. The survey shows that an increasing number of people feel the largest party should lead the coalition," said Mr Petersen. The struggle to become prime minister has been hotting up over the past few days, especially after the Liberals made it clear that they would prefer to see Mr Bondevik as prime minister.

Change of government on the cards (Aftenposten)

Efforts to resolve the differences between the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and the Conservatives are now in full swing. Even though the Christian Democrats yesterday continued to act as the least enthusiastic of the potential coalition partners, the possibility of a change of government came another step closer. The parties were talking about the necessity for give and take in the negotiations they most probably will enter into, once the exploratory phase is over.

No new debate on gas-fired power stations (NRK/NTB)

According to NRK, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats do not want a new round of discussions on the decision by the Storting to approve the construction of emission-producing gas-fired power stations. Instead, the two parties, in consultation with the Conservatives, are planning to propose the investment of several billion kroner in further research into ‘clean’ technology. It is proposed that the research effort be funded jointly by the Government and private interests, or alternatively, that part of the electricity tax be earmarked for research purposes.

Valla looks to Socialist Left Party (Dagsavisen)

Gerd-Liv Valla, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), has said she is not averse to the idea of closer cooperation with the Socialist Left Party. "I think both sides would benefit from talking to each other more," she added. However, Ms Valla emphasized that this does not imply the same close collaboration on union rights and political matters that the LO has with the Labour Party. She still feels that the joint committee between the LO and the Labour Party should be retained, but has not made up her mind as to whether the president of the LO should be a member of the Labour Party’s executive committee.

Fading star (Verdens Gang)

Harald Norvik is no longer one of the leading lights of the Norwegian business scene. In short order he has been forced out of both Statoil and SAS. Yesterday he was forced to resign as chairman of SAS after revelations of illegal market cooperation between SAS and the Danish airline, Maersk. Nevertheless, Mr Norvik was in aggressive mood yesterday. The enquiry team who had been called in to investigate the SAS board’s handling of the anti-trust scandal concluded that neither he or the rest of the board knew about the illegal agreements. Nor had they been given the full details by the company’s senior management. Nevertheless, Mr Norvik took over as SAS chairman on 16 June this year, just two days before the European Commission announced it was imposing a record EUR 40 million fine on the company. His fall from grace has therefore been hard.

Bible-toting rehab centres get government cash (Aftenposten)

While other drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres have to fight for financial support from county and local authorities, Christian treatment centres can claim cash handouts direct from the Government. The Pentecostal Church’s Evangelical Centre receives NOK 23 million, which accounts for the bulk of the available government grants. Astrid Skretting, of the National Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, feels it is a problem that those who offer treatment with Bible in hand receive special funding. NOK 38 million is allocated each year directly from the national budget for the treatment of substance abuse.

Worth noting

1. If the Conservatives, Christian Democrats and Liberals start negotiations to form a coalition government, they can expect it to be a lengthy process. "The atmosphere is far tougher than during other negotiations," said Johan J. Jakobsen. And he should know. He was one of the key players in the coalition negotiations which took place in 1989 and 1997. (Nationen)
2. Thorbjørn Jagland, not Jens Stoltenberg, should be the Labour Party’s new parliamentary leader, according to Kleiv Fiskvik, leader of the Oslo branch of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO). (Dagsavisen)
3. The Labour Party should break all its official ties with the LO, according to MPs Gunnar Skaug and Gunnar Halvorsen. The party’s close links with the LO will be a subject for discussion when Labour’s national committee meets this week. (Dagsavisen)
4. In several areas around the country, the Directorate for Civil Defence and Emergency Planning does not even know who has the keys to the emergency supply depots. The Office of the Auditor General is highly critical of this lack of control. Among other things, it appears that the County Governors have ignored their duty to check the contents of the emergency supply depots, and are hazy about what they actually have in store. (Aftenposten)
5. Kværner’s board of directors held an emergency meeting yesterday. There are strong indications that the company will be forced to ask the market for more cash to satisfy the demands of its banks. Several sources claim to know that Kværner needs around NOK 1 billion in the very near future. (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Aftenposten

SAS’s board of directors has resigned following revelations of illegal market cooperation between SAS and the Danish airline, Maersk Air. The fact that an independent inquiry team has concluded that the board had no knowledge of the agreement with Maersk made no difference. According to chairman Harald Norvik, it is "the sum of the criticism that has emerged from the enquiry report, as well as the situation SAS has now found itself in, which led us on Sunday evening to decide to call an extraordinary general meeting to elect a new board of directors". We agree with the Scandinavian Transport Ministers that this was a wise decision. A board that does not prevent a company from entering into illegal agreements which cost it SEK 360 in fines, has not been doing its job properly. In this light, the crucial question is not what the board knew, but what it should have known. The board’s passivity is reason enough for its resignation. The management of so large a company is dependent on the trust and confidence of the political authorities, its passengers and employees. That confidence was no longer there – and that is why the board had to go. We hope that a new board and the company’s senior management can rebuild the trust SAS is totally dependent on in a market which is becoming increasingly competitive and where the situation has been made even more difficult following last week’s tragic events in the USA.