THE ROYAL MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Oslo

Press Division

NORWAY DAILY No. 158/00

DATE: 21 August 2000

JAGLAND WINS FIRST ROUND (Aftenposten)

A majority on the Labour Party’s executive committee want to downgrade the counties and transfer the hospital system to national administration. The executive committee will meet at noon today to conclude its party programme deliberations. Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland seems to have come out on top in this round, but the dissenting minority on the executive committee is large enough to make any prediction of the outcome uncertain. The struggle now going on in the Labour Party is a struggle over the party, and the issues will be decided at the national convention in November.

GRASS-ROOT SUPPORT FOR EU MEMBERSHIP (Nationen-Saturday)

Labour Party leaders have the support of the rank-and-file on EU membership. Motions are already flowing in from local party chapters advocating membership negotiations in the coming parliamentary term, though most motions regarding relations with the EU are not in the form of proposed statements. Most contributions from ordinary members on EU issues are in the form of contributions to the debate on the party programme.

UNEQUIVOCAL DEMONSTRATION AGAINST NEO-NAZISM (Dagsavisen-Sunday)

Ten to fifteen thousand people poured into the Youngstorget plaza in Oslo yesterday afternoon to demonstrate their abhorrence of Nazism. "We can change the world," said Bishop of Oslo, Gunnar Stålsett, in his opening appeal. Neo-Nazi group "Boot Boys" applied three times for permission to march through Oslo with their hands raised in tribute to Rudolf Hess, but were turned down.

PRESCHOOL TEACHERS GO BACK TO WORK (Aftenposten-Sunday)

Day care facilities will open again on Monday now that preschool teachers have accepted a settlement. Dissatisfied preschool teachers are still hoping to win a better deal in local negotiations. Despite discontent voiced by the rank-and-file earlier in the day, the Norwegian Union of Teachers’ national committee accepted the mediation proposal by unanimous vote after 12 weeks of striking.

PRESCHOOL TEACHERS THREATENED WITH COMPULSORY ARBITRATION (Klassekampen)

The threat of compulsory arbitration loomed over striking preschool teachers from the very outset. The Norwegian Union of Teachers and the Norwegian Association of Local Authorities (KS) have now accepted the state mediator’s proposal. "The government gave us clear indications that compulsory arbitration could be right around the corner," said union vice-president Gjertrud Eggen. Ms. Eggen felt that otherwise they could have kept the strike going, if necessary.

F-16 BEING UPGRADED FOR NATO OPERATIONS (Dagsavisen)

48 of Norway’s 58 F-16 fighter jets will be up to full combat capability for NATO operations in another two years. So far they have served only as patrol and escort aircraft, but after upgrading they will be capable of attacking ground targets with bombs and missiles. The upgrade costs NOK 3 billion.

NRK WANTS ANOTHER NOK 4 BILLION (Dagens Næringsliv-Saturday)

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s executive board will probably ask the Government for up to NOK 4 billion to enable it to meet future competition. Board member Christian Thommesen has prepared a document for presentation at NRK’s board meeting on Tuesday in which he concludes that NRK and Einar Førde need additional funding in order to meet the competition from multimedia concerns.

1200 KOSOVARS STILL WAITING FOR ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW (Aftenposten-Saturday)

1,200 Kosovars have now been in Norway for over a year and have still not been interviewed by the police. At least another three months will thus go by before the Immigration Directorate can even begin looking at their asylum applications. Around 5,000 Kosovars are already waiting for replies to their applications. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee protests the repatriations.

NEW BILL MAY ENTAIL FISHING RESTRICTIONS (Aftenposten-Sunday)

The Government has submitted a sea harvest bill to be deliberated by the Storting this autumn.

The bill will impose some limitations on the traditional right of free general access in all coastal waters which, among other things, will entail certain restrictions on where one may fish. Restrictions may apply to recreational as well as to occupational activities. The bill has encountered opposition.

WORTH NOTING

• Labour county council chairmen hope the party’s executive committee will act to revitalize the counties instead of terminating them. A number of council chairmen have voiced their support for former Minister of Agriculture Gunhild Øyangen, who now heads Labour members of the parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Affairs. (Aftenposten-Saturday)
• The Centre Party is open for a discussion on the privatization of the State Direct Financial Interest (SDFI) if Labour pledges to leave Statoil as it is. John Dale (Centre) feels Labour must grasp the fact that this is the way to go in order to win a broad oil policy consensus. (Dagsavisen-Sunday)
• No to the EU’s executive board voted this weekend to step up its activity sharply if the Labour national convention leaves the possibility open for a new application for EU membership. (Klassekampen)
• The fishing industry feels agriculture is exploiting subsidies to take market shares, and thus declines to take part in a joint programme to develop new food products. (Aftenposten-Saturday)
• Telenor, the state-owned telecoms corporation, could probably cash in a further NOK 1 million if it sells its stake in Viag Interkom, a German telecoms operator, to British Telecom. (Aftenposten)
• The Progress Party has elbowed the Conservatives and Christian Democrats aside to become Norway’s largest nonsocialist party. Carl I. Hagen’s party is now nearly as big as the two other parties put together, according to the MMI political barometer for August. (Dagbladet-Saturday)
• Yngve Hågensen and his people in the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) maintain a higher level of activity than the organization’s finances warrant. The national organization as well as a number of the individual unions are operating in the red, and membership figures are declining. (Dagsavisen-Saturday)
• A snapshot of housing prices indicates that they are on the rise again. The Postal Bank’s real estate division registered a pronounced decline in July, followed by a surge in August. Prices continued to rise after the recent interest rate hike as well. (Aftenposten)

TODAY’S COMMENT from Verdens Gang

The weekend’s purposeful demonstrations on the Youngstorget and Jernbanetorget plazas against neo-Nazism provide clear proof of how the majority feels about the small group of neo-Nazis here in Norway. 15,000 persons from over 130 organizations holding peaceful demonstrations in Oslo made the 25-30 Nazis parading in Askim look pathetic. Most of the Nazis hurrying through the centre of Askim did not even have the courage to show their faces, but wore balaclavas to conceal their identities. The massive turnout in Oslo manifested a heartfelt desire to demonstrate what we think of the brown-shirt mentality of these Nazi sympathizers. The sight of political parties and other organizations and associations which are normally at odds with each other standing shoulder to shoulder must make an impression on even the most twisted Nazi. In any event, they received a reply than leaves no room for mistaking how Norwegians feel about them. But we must not be content merely with having shown them that they are alone. Malicious and destructive elements must not meet with indifference, which will give them the opportunity to engage in the subterfuges they are best at. They can create a festering sore in our society, and we have seen the consequences of this sort of thing in Sweden and in other countries in Europe. The events of the past weekend have shown what we can achieve when we stand united in support of the society and the tolerance we want to maintain in Norway, and it has been an inspiration to behold. We have no intention of repeating the experience of April 1940 (when Nazi troops invaded Norway-translator’s note).

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