Sanctions and security top agenda for Jagland and Powell (Aftenposten)

UN sanctions against Iraq will top the agenda at today’s meeting between Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland and US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Diplomatic sources have confirmed that Norway will present specific proposals on how sanctions against Iraq can be targeted more precisely at the talks which take place at the US State Department in Washington today. Another important issue for Mr Jagland will be the development of the EU’s European security and defence policy (ESDP). Mr Jagland is one of the first European foreign ministers to meet with representatives of the new Bush administration.

Statistics Bureau forecasts weakened industry (Dagens Næringsliv)

Private industry will be significantly weakened in the years ahead, despite the current slowdown in the rate of pay rises. Chief executive Svein Longva of the Central Bureau of Statistics (SSB) made this forecast yesterday in connection with the publication of the SSB’s Economic Review of 2000. As well as summing up the past year, the review also includes the SSB’s forecasts for developments in the Norwegian economy in the coming two-year period. The forecast will come as something of a blow to the Government, for whom maintaining a high level of industrial activity is an important objective. "In practice, current monetary and fiscal policy decisions will lead to a continued reduction in the size of the private sector, and as a consequence to increased use of Norway’s oil revenues in the future," said Mr Longva.

Hunt may be called off (Dagsavisen)

The Court of Execution and Enforcement in Oslo will not make its decision on a petition to postpone the wolf hunt in Østerdalen, eastern Norway, until next Tuesday. The authorities are not prepared to wait that long. The wolf hunters will probably get the go-ahead today to start their hunt for nine of the wolves tomorrow. "The wolf hunt has nothing to do with biology or predator management. It is quite simply a matter of political prestige," says Bjørn Tore Bjørnsvik of WWF Norway and adds that the Government is showing little respect for the Norwegian courts.

Jagland opposes cut in sick pay (Dagsavisen)

The Foreign Ministry has issued a memo opposing proposals by the Sandman Commission to cut sick pay benefits to workers. The ministry’s current political leader is Labour Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland, and although the memo was written by ministerial civil servants, Foreign Ministry spokesman Karsten Klepsvik confirms it was Mr Jagland and the rest of the ministry’s political leadership who are behind the views contained in the ministry’s memo. With Mr Jagland supporting the right of employees to receive full pay while on sick leave it seems unlikely that the Government will implement a cut in sick pay when it makes its decision on the Sandman Commission’s proposals this spring. The proposal by a majority of the Commission’s members to cut sick pay in connection with short-term sick leave to 80 per cent of an individual’s basic salary is one of the most controversial decisions facing the Government.

If raises insurance premiums (Aftenposten)

Floods and major losses on its share portfolio left the If insurance company will a loss of almost NOK 1 billion kroner last year. The insurance giant announced its annual results for 2000 on Thursday. If has therefore decided to raise its general accident premiums even further. The latest round of increases come on top of the rise in premiums which came into effect at the beginning of January, when car insurance rose by 10 per cent.

TV advertising aimed at schoolchildren (Klassekampen)

When NRK, the license-fee funded national broadcasting company, establishes its digital and interactive television service, it is not ruling out the use of commercial advertising to fund its educational programmes. "The plans do not appear to be very well thought through," comments the Broadcasting Association, one of NRK’s employee unions. "There is good reason to be critical and sceptical about programmes aimed at pupils which are broadcast on a commercial basis," says the Norwegian Teachers’ Union.

Poultry sales take off (Aftenposten)

Sales of poultry have taken off as a result of consumer fears over mad cow disease (BSE), and Prior is spending NOK 15 million on TV advertising to help sales climb still higher. Compared to other nationalities, Norwegians do not eat much white meat – around 10 kg per person, per year on average. Prior’s target is to increase that figure to 15 kg per person by 2005, at which point we will be approaching other countries’ eating habits. Prior is a farmers’ cooperative, owned collectively by some 1,600 poultry and egg farmers.

Worth Noting

• We will all be hearing a great deal about the renewal of the welfare state over the next few months. The Labour Government is planning to spin its election strategy around this particular theme. Yesterday the whole cabinet – minus Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who was ill – was in Telemark, southern Norway, on a vote-gathering exercise. (Verdens Gang)
• Yesterday Norske Skog, one of the leading global producers of newsprint, announced year-end profits for 2000 of more than NOK 2 billion after tax. This compares with NOK 1.8 billion the year before. (Nationen)
• Norway is still withholding funds from the World Bank following a corruption scandal involving bank employees who had embezzled several million kroner. The Norwegian authorities have underlined that their discussions with the World Bank have been positive since the fraud was uncovered. (Aftenposten)
• NSB, the Norwegian national railway company, should concentrate on its passenger service and get rid of "all the other stuff", says Oddvar Nilsen, chairman of the Storting’s Transport Committee. Mr Nilsen believes that "railway aficionados" in the Labour Party have ruined the company’s prospects. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Judges threatened by criminals are to be offered police protection, secret addresses and telephone numbers. Threats are an increasing problem, and the courts are now developing contingency plans to tackle such situations. (Aftenposten)
• Aftenposten has learned that due to lack of evidence the police intend to drop the charges against the doctor accused of participating in assisted suicides at Bærum hospital. (Aftenposten)
• For the first time in almost a year the Labour Party is once again the largest party in the North of Norway, writes the newspaper, Nordlys. (NTB)
• Sales of the so-called "morning after" pill have risen faster than any other pharmaceutical product in Norway. After the pill became generally available without a prescription last autumn, sales have risen by 86 per cent.

Today’s comment from Aftenposten

Today the new US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, will meet Thorbjørn Jagland in one of his first meetings with a foreign counterpart. Mr Powell has good reason for talks with his Norwegian guest, given that Norway chairs the Security Council Sanctions committee on Iraq. This is a key issue not only for the new US administration, but also for Mr Powell personally because of his background as the USA’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War. As usual there are few if any difficulties to discuss regarding relations between Norway and the USA. Of course there are differences of opinion on a number of issues, such as the scope of sanctions against Iraq and President George W. Bush’s plans for a national missile-defence system. Both President Bush and Mr Powell want a tough line on Iraq, while Norway – in keeping with many other European countries – is not particularly convinced of the efficacy of sanctions in their current form. Another important issue on Mr Jagland’s agenda is cooperation with the USA to reach an agreement with Russia over nuclear arms in the northern region. When this becomes a reality it will mean huge investments with opportunities for Norwegian industry. A piquant challenge for both the USA and Norway is the EU’s plan for a European rapid deployment force. Superpower USA and tiny Norway have a common interest in their concern that development of such a European military force will be at the expense of Nato. For Norway it is not necessarily a disadvantage if the US acts to slow down the build-up of the EU as a military power. Even though we would very much like to participate in such a force, we also hope that, as long as we are not a member of the EU, it will not grow too important. It is a paradoxical situation.

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