Turkey asks for Norwegian help (Aftenposten)

The proposal that Nato should start making defensive preparations on behalf of Turkey – which borders Iraq – has so far been blocked by Germany and France. Now Turkey is asking Norwegian politicians for help. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ysar Yakis met with Thorbjørn Jagland, leader of the Storting’s Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. Mr Yakis told Mr Jagland that because Norway had participated regularly in peace-keeping operations throughout the entire post-war period, Norway was listened to, even though it was only a small county. He added that since Norway was a member of Nato, just like Turkey, Norway could help to resolve the disagreement within the Nato alliance about the way to prepare for a possible military offensive in Iraq.

Norway could face flood of Iraqi refugees (NRK/NTB)

“Norway is far too badly prepared to receive Iraqi refugees in the event of a war. I think the authorities should show more willingness to see the consequences of the enormous civilian suffering which a war would bring. We must be prepared to accept our share of the refugees. We must all pull together in a joint effort, just as we did in the face of the flood of refugees coming out of Kosovo,” said chief psychologist Nora Sveaas of the University of Oslo’s Psychosocial Centre for Refugees.

Bondevik prepared to defy UN resolution (Dagbladet)

“A UN resolution is necessary, but not enough for Norway to support a war in Iraq,” said Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. He refused to guarantee Norwegian support for an attack on Iraq, even if such a move were sanctioned by a new, unambiguous Security Council resolution. “Obviously, we would place great store by such a Security Council resolution, but we cannot wash our hands of responsibility,” he said. Labour foreign policy spokesman Thorbjørn Jagland responded by saying: “We must abide by what has been Norwegian foreign policy for 50 years. We cannot fly in the face of a UN resolution. If lots of countries went against the Security Council, we would not have a United Nations.”

Krekar’s defence counsel attacks US Ambassador in Oslo (Aftenposten)

“Mullah Krekar is potentially dangerous. We believe he is linked to terrorism in general and al-Qaida in particular, through his leadership of the Ansar Al-Islam organization. But he has not broken any US laws, and we have no charges to bring against him. Nevertheless, we hope that Norway will do something about him,” said US Ambassador John Doyle Ong. Mullah Krekar’s defence counsel Brynjar Meling dismissed the Ambassador’s claims, describing them as, “slander hiding behind diplomatic immunity”. “The Americans should either lay their charges on the table or apologise,” said Mr Meling

Outright majority for Labour and Socialist Left Party combined (Klassekampen)

The Labour Party and the Socialist Left Party have surged forward on Sentio’s January opinion poll, which shows that the two parties would have won an outright majority of seats in the Storting if there had been a general election today. 26.5 per cent of those polled said they would vote Labour, while 18.4 per cent said they backed the Socialist Left Party. This would have given the two parties a total of 83 seats. The Progress Party’s remarkable gains from last autumn are a thing of the past. Carl I. Hagen can chalk up a measly 22 per cent of the electorate, according to the Sentio poll. The ruling coalition parties are in an even worse position. They muster the combined support of just 25.6 per cent of the electorate.

Unemployment at highest level for six years (Dagens Næringsliv)

Not since January 1997 have so many people been without work in Norway. So far the crisis in industry has mainly figured in the columns of the newspapers, it has not yet had much of an impact on the unemployment statistics. But in January the country’s employment offices noted that many industrial workers had lost their jobs. In just one year, 19,483 people have joined the dole queue, bringing the total number of people completely out of work to 96,054. This is an increase of 25 per cent. Labour and Government Administration Minister Victor D. Norman may possibly have a crumb of comfort to offer. Yesterday, he announced that the Directorate of Labour is to get 200 more staff, and that 1,000 new places on schemes to help the unemployed will be established. These will take the form of job clubs and other job-seeking activities.

Progress Party calls for environmental organizations to be investigated (Nationen)

The Progress Party has called for a full investigation into the state grants received by environmental organizations. “We have on several occasions questioned the allocation of financial assistance to environmental organizations, and pointed out a number of issues which we feel represent faults and weaknesses with the current system. It is shocking that the amount of money granted to these organizations is increasing at the same time as their membership numbers are plummeting,” said the Progress Party’s Øyvind Korsberg. The Environment Ministry handed out NOK 31.4 million to environmental organizations in 2001. That figure is set to rise to NOK 35 million in 2003.

We are being cheated out of low-cost nursery care (Dagbladet)

The Government is working to meet the parliamentary majority’s demand for a price cap on pre-school day-care fees. But local councils are chiselling away at the amount of funding they provide themselves. Councils are also withholding additional state grants. Nevertheless, the opposition parties behind the price cap – the Progress Party, Socialist Left Party, Labour Party and the Centre Party – guarantee that the price cap will come. They have asked Children and Family Affairs Minister Laila Dåvøy and the Government to intervene. Before Christmas the Storting approved an additional allocation of NOK 135 million, NOK 100 million to the private nursery sector. The money was supposed to have been paid into the nurseries’ bank accounts by 24 January. It has not arrived.

Worth Noting

• “I have nothing to do with Saddam Hussein. Not previously, not now. Not in Iraq, not outside. Not directly, not indirectly. As a Muslim, I consider Saddam Hussein to be our enemy. He and his regime are very dangerous,” said Mullah Krekar.
  (NTB)
• The introduction of a NOK 1,500 price cap on pre-school day-care fees will cost the state NOK 3 billion, according to a recent report from the Centre for Economic Analysis. Next year parents will have to pay a maximum of NOK 2,500 per month. From 1 January 2005, the maximum fee will be NOK 1,500 per month.
  (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Centre Party leader Odd Roger Enoksen has not won any new voters as a result of the renewed debate on Norwegian membership of the EU, according to the January poll. He is forced to content himself with the support of 4.2 per cent of the electorate. “There are no Euro-sceptic voters to be had in the market,” said political scientist Jo Saglie.
  (Nationen)
• Norway has rejected the European Commission’s proposal to use emergency reserves to regulate the price of oil and gas. The Commission has proposed increasing the size of the emergency reserves of oil and gas, and using them to reduce oil prices.
  (NTB)
• There are more and more women in the labour market, while employment among men is falling, according to figures published by Statistics Norway. In 2002, 70 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men were registered in the labour force. Ten years ago the gap was 12 percentage points, and 20 years ago it was 23 percentage points.
  (NTB)
• The IT industry is in deep trouble, but the public sector could be its salvation. A great many large public authorities are in the middle of major restructuring programmes, involving IT contracts worth several hundred million kroner. The Labour Directorate’s new computer system alone cost almost NOK 700 million.
  (Aftenposten)
• The courts are sentencing fewer offenders to community service – in direct contravention of the wishes of the Storting. Experience with non-custodial sentencing is good, but employers are hesitant to take on individuals who have been sentenced to work.
  (Vårt Land)
• An increasing number of drivers are being fined for using hand-held mobile phones. Figures collated by the State Agency for the Recovery of Fines, Damages and Costs show that 1,191 drivers were fined for using mobile phones last year. Ole Høiby, head of the police traffic division, believes this is just the tip of the iceberg.
  (Dagsavisen)
• While Keiko the killer whale has been living a solitary and reclusive life in the fjords of Nordmøre, he has contributed to a boom in killer whale safaris off the coast of Nordland. Never before have so many tourists taken part in whale safaris. All attempts to make the tame, people-loving, ex-film star Keiko wild again have ended in failure. And this despite the fact that the Free Willy Organization and the Ocean Future Society have spent a dizzying NOK 140 million on the project.
  (Verdens Gang)

Today’s comment from Dagens Næringsliv

55 per cent of the Norwegian people want another referendum on EU membership before the next general election; 35 per cent think the issue can wait, putting them in line with Government policy. So far the Government and the majority of MPs have decided to postpone dealing with the problem, in the hope that it will go away. It might, if the large majority in favour of EU membership should begin to shrink. No one knows what will happen if it does not, though there is obviously a limit to how long a government can act against the will of the majority of the people on such an important and controversial issue as the nature of Norway’s foreign relations. The dilemma facing those politicians who are in favour of EU membership is that they want their supporters among the grass roots to wait a couple of years before saying too loudly what they think. It is a political position which cannot possibly be particularly comfortable.