The Labour Party is at the center of the new controversy, and in an awkward position. Its members within the city government now want to re-zone an undeveloped site earlier granted to the US Embassy at Huseby, just northwest of downtown, back to open space.
The Labour-dominated state government, however, is obligated to offer an acceptable site for a US Embassy, and wants construction of an embassy at Huseby to move forward. Political forces within the Foreign Ministry entered the fray this week, mostly on the side of the US Embassy, and Labour Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called in Oslo Labour officials on Friday, asking them to explain their rezoning offensive.
Construction of the embassy at Huseby has been vigorously opposed by local residents, who argue it will ruin the last bit of open space they have in their area, boost traffic along an already-busy road and create a terrorist target within their midst. | The latter is the real issue, one suspects. After all, their dhimmi attitude has mostly held off major attacks within the country. So far, anyway .... |
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