Norwegian planes bombed rebels in Afghanistan (Aftenposten)

A Norwegian pilot dropped two of the bombs that are thought to have killed at least 18 people in Afghanistan on Monday. The target was a group of at least 80 rebel soldiers. It is the first time since the second world war that Norwegian planes have bombed targets in a combat situation. Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold last night maintained her view that the Norwegian attack was “in accordance with the mandate for our F-16 contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom”. This morning the Storting will debate both the Iraq question and the Norwegian bomb attack in Afghanistan. However, only the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party have announced they will be taking a critical line.

Defence chief: All procedures were followed (Dagbladet)

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Sigurd Frisvold insisted that all procedures were followed according to regulations. Both the bombs dropped are thought to have hit their targets, but it is not certain if anyone was killed. “The aircraft were called on to provide air support. Notification was made in accordance with a predetermined system. I then notified the Ministry of Defence and the Minister herself,” said Gen. Frisvold.

Norway hit by Nato rift

A rift between the USA and the major European powers has placed Norway in a particularly difficult position, according to Norwegian foreign policy experts. Norway is a member of Nato, but not of the EU. It is therefore important that the differences of opinion between the USA and the EU over Iraq do not become the start of a lengthy rift between the two sides. But as the leader of the Storting’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Labour’s Thorbjørn Jagland, points out, so far Europe itself is divided in its view of how the Iraq crisis should be resolved.

Christian Democrats halved in six months (Dagsavisen)

Support for the Christian Democratic Party has been halved in just six months. Since last year’s general election a third of the party’s voters have turned into stay-at-homes. Labour is again the country’s most popular party, closely followed by the Progress Party. Labour now has the backing of 26.9 per cent of the electorate, while 26.3 per cent give their vote to the Progress Party, according to the latest poll by AC Nielsen. The poll shows that 8 per cent of those who say they would vote for the Progress Party if there were a general election tomorrow voted Christian Democrat last time around. By comparison, only one per cent of today’s Progress Party voters supported Labour at the last election. Both the Centre Party and the Liberals fail to reach the minimum number of votes necessary to win a seat in the Storting.

Support for EU membership growing among bishops (Vårt Land)

Norwegian bishops are pleased that the debate about EU membership has been rekindled. Odd Bondevik, Bishop of Møre, believes there are several factors which should make officers of the church change their position on EU membership compared to the 1994 referendum. “But Norway should not enter a political bloc purely out of self-interest,” he said. Bishop Finn Wagle and the incoming Bishop of Tunsberg, Laila Riksaasen Dahl, are both now supporters of EU membership. The bishops will soon be off on a study trip to Brussels.

New patients’ rights legislation could hit weakest groups (Dagsavisen)

The Norwegian Medical Association is concerned that the new patients’ rights legislation will have a damaging impact on the weakest patients. The law, to be proposed by the Government during the spring session, permits freedom of choice between public and private hospital treatment. The Progress Party is backing the proposed legislation, ensuring it will win a parliamentary majority. The proposal to extend patients’ rights also allows patients to go abroad for treatment.

Norway exports munitions worth NOK 1 billion (Nationen)

Last year Norway exported ammunition and military equipment worth more than NOK 1 billion. Exports to the USA were almost twice as high as the year before. “Most of the materiel is sold to Nato countries. Certain other countries also purchase weapons from Norway. The problem is that part of that materiel can easily end up in undesirable hands,” said Jonas Uchermann of the International Peace Research Institute. The Foreign Ministry is not aware that the USA has misused Norwegian-produced ammunition, and will therefore not be taking any steps in that respect. But both the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party are calling for a halt to the production of ammunition in Norway.

Newspapers claw back lost advertising revenue (Aftenposten)

For the first time in years the share of advertising going to Norway’s television stations shrank. Throughout the entire 1990s, television ate into the newspapers’ advertising revenues, but now the tide could have turned. “2003 will be a bonanza year for the newspaper industry. It will be the dawn of a new golden age. In the course of 2003 we will take 70 advertising campaigns from television, worth NOK 1 million,” said Pål Øverby, Aftenposten’s advertising manager. TV2 was the only television company to increased its revenues last year.

Salmon may turn grey (Dagsavisen)

If you had the choice between two pieces of salmon on the supermarket shelf – one deep pink and one grey – which one would you choose? Norway’s fish farming industry thinks you would choose the pink salmon. However, EU plans may force salmon farmers to sell grey-coloured fish in a couple of years. On Monday, the European Commission decided to slash the amount of the colouring canthaxanthin permitted in fish food by two-thirds. In extreme concentrations and large amounts, the pigment can affect the eyesight of those who ingest it.

Worth Noting

• “We must be prepared to use weapons, and we must be prepared for lives to be lost. When Norway chose to supply aircraft to participate in the Enduring Freedom operation in Afghanistan, we had to be prepared to go on such missions. This is the first time anything like this has happened in four months,” said Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik.
  (Dagbladet)
• Jan Egeland, General Secretary of the Norwegian Red Cross, has no doubts that Norway is far more important as a provider of humanitarian aid rather than military assistance. “The Storting has never debated the issue in principle of how Norway can be of most use in international crisis situations,” he said.
  (Dagbladet)
• On Tuesday, vessels from five EU countries embarked on a pilot project in the battle against illegal immigration to Europe. Norway participated in the operation as an observer. It has been calculated that there are around 3 million illegal immigrants in the 15 EU countries.
  (NTB)
• This year, nine companies have applied for an exploration licence in the North Sea. Neither Shell, TotalFinaElf or BP have applied for exploration licences in what is officially an “off year”. Nor has Kjell Inge Røkke’s Aker Energy shown any interest.
  (Dagens Næringsliv)
• SAS’s Danish pilots have to volunteer for and undergo special training before they are allowed to fly north of Evenes. The Danes themselves say they prefer to have a comfortable life and would rather fly to destinations in southern Europe.
  (Dagsavisen)
• In scarcely two weeks the Norwegian exchange rate has fallen by more than 2 per cent. The Norwegian krone is at its weakest against the euro since August last year.
  (Aftenposten)
• Ingebrigt Sørfonn, the Christian Democratic Party’s economic policy spokesman, says that if Norway joins the EU it will lead to a NOK 50 billion increase in taxes or a NOK 25 billion cut in public services. Mr Søfonn’s fears are substantiated by a leading economist at Den norske Bank.
  (Dagens Næringsliv)
• With the announcement that it is planning to publish a new report on the shipping industry early in 2004, the Government is trying to prevent Norwegian shipping companies from flagging out. Trade and Industry Minister Ansgar Gabrielsen and the rest of the Government will now try to build up the shipping industry’s faith that it will be given a robust regulatory framework.
  (Aftenposten)
• This weekend, Environment Minister Børge Brende became the first Norwegian minister to visit Antarctica. During his stay, he experienced a raging snowstorm, a mountain trek in glorious sunshine and a presentation of the world’s most advanced environmental research.
  (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

A Finance Ministry working group has presented proposals for a separate “Money Laundering Act”, which will make it easier for the authorities to fight financial crime and cut off terrorists’ funding. According to the proposal, lawyers, real estate agents, art dealers and jewellers will have a duty to report any suspicious splashing out, while the postal administration will have to notify the authorities of any dubious-looking letters and parcels. The Data Inspectorate has criticized the proposal and dubbed it a “gossips’ charter”. We share the Data Inspectorate’s concerns. It is, of course, desirable to find methods which can reveal if taxable income is being concealed or money is being used for illegal purposes. But we cannot have a system which forces large sections of society to inform on the rest. It would destroy the trust between lawyers and their clients, for example, and weaken the individual’s right to privacy. The terrorist attacks on the USA must not be used as an excuse to set aside important democratic considerations.