-Caveat Lector- The last sentence made me chuckle. Tenorlove --------------------- Norwegian and U.S. security: a clash of cultures By Tanya Pang OSLO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Bill Clinton will trigger one of the biggest security operations in sleepy Norway when he lands in his Air Force One plane at Oslo airport on Monday. Norwegians are likely to gape at Clinton driving in a bullet-proof limousine through Oslo streets where Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik or even King Harald can sometimes be seen strolling. "Two completely different worlds will meet when President Bill Clinton comes to Oslo," the tabloid Verdens Gang said in a recent editorial. "One can speak to the hosts, represented by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, in a hot dog queue at a soccer match. It is guaranteed that you cannot do that with his American guest, who is always surrounded by the world's tightest security operation." Clinton arrives on November 1 on a two-day official visit to Norway, the first by a U.S. president, to attend a commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Also due are Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Officials hope that meetings on the sidelines of the memorial might help to push ahead the Middle East peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The negotiations are entering a crucial final round after several years of deadlock. The initial interim peace accords were sealed after secret talks hosted by Norway in 1993. RETHINK AFTER SWEDISH P.M. GUNNED DOWN But forget the politics, most Norwegians are more interested in Clinton and his entourage, which local media expect to be between 500 and 900 strong. The event has sparked a massive police operation in Norway with secret-service bodyguards, sharpshooters and bullet-proof limousines that are the stuff of American action movies. Norway declines to say how many hundreds of police are taking part. Police say a comparable security net has been deployed only a few times before in Norway, such as in 1994 when Rabin, Arafat and then Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres received the Nobel Peace Prize, and three years earlier for the funeral of King Olav. The assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, gunned down in 1986 on his way home from the cinema, caused a tightening of security in the Nordic region, but controls are still lax compared with other regions. Bondevik, the present prime minister, is relatively untethered and has been seen emerging from the barbers near his office in central Oslo. His minders are discreetly hidden during frequent visits to his favourite soccer club, Molde. Security was stepped up around Bondevik and his family for a while earlier this year for fear of attacks after NATO began bombing the former Yugoslavia. Norway is a NATO member and supported the action against Belgrade. Top politicians and government ministers are often seen unaccompanied in Oslo's main shopping area near parliament. Many cabinet ministers' private telephones are listed in the phone book. Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus were recently seen on a Sunday afternoon visiting at an art exhibition in central Oslo without any pomp and ceremony. Sonja and King Harald sometimes slip out of the palace to go to the cinema. The Clinton entourage has booked the entire 37-storey, 673-room Oslo Plaza Hotel, the tallest building in Scandinavia, where the president will occupy the sumptuous King Suite. Russian President Boris Yeltsin resided in the same suite during a state visit in 1996, as did opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti, for whom the giant bed had to be reinforced. 05:19 10-28-99 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
