Close See a sample reprint in PDF format. Order a reprint of this article now EUROPE NEWS Iceland's Prospects Hinge on Vote Negotiators in London Try for New Pact to Repay Netherlands and U.K. for Bailout of Icesave Depositors By CHARLES FORELLE Iceland's leaders are scrambling to blunt the impact of a referendum Saturday in which voters are set to ...
Posts Tagged ‘Netherlands’
Iceland’s Prospects Hinge on Vote
Monday, March 8th, 2010Iceland Says Work Continues on Mutual Icesave Deal
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
The government of Iceland released a statement in reaction to the first numbers from the Icesave referendum last night, emphasizing that work will continue on finding a mutually acceptable agreement with the governments of the UK and the Netherlands. Icesave negotiations to continue next week?
Saturday, March 6th, 2010
The British and Dutch authoritites have apparently indicated that they will be willing to hold more Icesave talks next week.
Icelandic Finance Minister Steingrimur J. Sigfusson revealed this information while speaking on television last night, saying the British and Dutch intend to hold back from discussions while today’s referendum goes ahead; but are ready to continue the process next week.
Meanwhile the referendum on the December Icesave law is happening right now. Initial results are expected to appear shortly after the polls close this evening. Icelanders are widely predicted to vote against the controversial repayment deal with the UK and the Netherlands.
Icesave talks adjourned
Friday, March 5th, 2010(Icelandic government press release): The Government of Iceland has for the last three weeks been engaged in a dialogue with the Governments of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, hoping for a resolution of the Icesave matter. Discussions to date have been constructive and Iceland is confident that a mutually acceptable solution can be reached. The Icelandic negotations committee returns today from London. Iceland remains committed to a continued dialogue and is hopeful that discussions will resume as early as next week..
Iceland braces for public backlash
Thursday, March 4th, 2010Iceland braces for public backlash Residents gather to pray to 'bless Iceland' around the National flag in front of the Parliament in Reykjavik on March 3, 2010 HALLDOR KOLBEINS Weekend referendum expected to deliver resounding 'no' as island races for deal with Britain, Netherlands on collapsed bank Jane Wardell and Gudjon Helgason Reykjavik - ...
No Results in London Icesave Talks
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
A four-hour meeting between the negotiation committees of Iceland, the UK and the Netherlands ended in London last night without any results. A new meeting has not been scheduled, yet the Icelandic committee is staying in London. Iceland referendum preparations continue despite London talks
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
It is unlikely that Saturday’s Icesave referendum in Iceland will be postponed, the Prime Minister said.
An un-named Icelandic government representative told RUV that the referendum on December’s Icesave bill will definitely go ahead this Saturday unless a new contract with the Netherlands and the UK can be reached early today. Icelandic negotiators met with their British counterparts in London for much of yesterday.
The meeting ended yesterday evening but the outcome of the meeting has not yet been formally stated. News is expected this morning.
Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir told media yesterday evening that it is unlikely the referendum will be postponed or cancelled even if a new deal was struck last night or this morning. There is no longer enough time to pass a new deal into law before Saturday, she explained.
Finance Minister Steingrimur J. Sigfusson disagreed slightly, saying that it is still technically possible to stop the referendum going ahead; but added that it is now highly unlikely.
The offer the Icelandic negotiators took to London last week was rejected and the British counteroffer was subsequently rejected by Reykjavik. The negotiators have since been working on interest and technical issues. Sigurdardottir said lowering Iceland’s payment burden and lowering the interest rate have been top of the agenda.
Conditions good for Icesave deal: Iceland minister
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010Icelanders are sure to vote against repaying $5 billion in "Icesave" debts if a referendum goes ahead on Saturday, but conditions are good for reaching a revised deal with Britain and the Netherlands, Iceland's Foreign Minister was quoted on Wednesday as saying.
The Essence Of Current Icelandic Politics (Borrowed from the US)
Friday, February 26th, 2010From Why Washington is Tied Up in Knots?
With these acts of legislative sabotage, Republicans tapped into a deep truth about the American people: they hate political squabbling, and they take out their anger on whoever is in charge. So when the Gingrich Republicans carried out a virtual sit-down strike during Clinton’s first two years, the public mood turned nasty. By 1994, trust in government was at an all-time low, which suited the Republicans fine, since their major line of attack against Clinton’s health care plan was that it would empower government. Clintoncare collapsed, Democrats lost Congress, and Republicans learned the secrets of vicious-circle politics: When the parties are polarized, it’s easy to keep anything from getting done. When nothing gets done, people turn against government. When you’re the party out of power and the party that reviles government, you win.
Combine this with the Independence Party’s new emphasis on recruiting 16-20 year old voters (young enough to not know what’s been going on) and we might have a polarized future ahead.
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No Vote In IceSave Referendum
Friday, February 26th, 2010I for one am not going to participate in this distortion of democracy which has brought us a national referendum on IceSave.
Of course I would say no to paying for the insane way Landsbankinn went about its business. Today, Halldor J. Kristjansson, one of their CEO’s is on record saying that there were meetings in February 2008 between the banks and the government about an impending collapse, yet they continued on to open the IceSave accounts in the Netherlands two months later.
But in a discussion dominated by the frantics, Bryndis Hlodversdottir, law professor at Bifrost University has come up with the most rational input regarding the referendum so far. In order for it to be democratic the following has to apply:
1) The question has to be clear and answerable with a yes or a no
2) All relevant information must be openly available for the public to be able to form an opinion.
3) The consequences must be clear.
None of these parameters are met with this ridiculous referendum. So for the first time since I was old enough to vote I will stay away from the voting booth. This farce served up by a lame-duck president and a Progressive Party pressure group called InDefence has nothing to do with democracy and I want nothing to do with it.
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No Conclusion at London Icesave Meeting
Friday, February 26th, 2010
The government of Iceland announced yesterday that the latest round of talks with the governments of the Netherlands and the UK regarding the Icesave loan terms had adjourned without a final resolution. Iceland ready for entry talks despite debts, EU says – Summary
Thursday, February 25th, 2010Iceland can start accession talks with the European Union - even though it has not yet agreed to refund Britain and the Netherlands for money spent to rescue savers caught out by its banking collapse, the European Commission said Wednesday.
Iceland’s Foreign Minister Wants to Meet Clinton
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Icelandic Foreign Minister Össur Skarphédinsson has requested a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to ask for assistance to loosen the grip the UK and the Netherlands have on the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Iceland Prepares to Answer Icesave Counteroffer
Monday, February 22nd, 2010The governments of the UK and the Netherlands made the Icelandic government a counteroffer on the terms of the Icesave loan last weekend. The leaders of the government parties and the opposition are meeting at noon to decide how to answer. Icelandic politicians mull over new Icesave plan
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
There are differing opinions between Iceland’s government and opposition on how to proceed with this weekend’s counter offer on Icesave repayments received jointly from the Netherlands and the UK. This is the opinion of Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, the leader of the Progressive Party, interviewed immediately after last night’s meeting of all party leaders.
The leaders of both government parties and all parliamentary opposition parties met to discuss the details of the revised repayment proposal received in Reykjavik on Saturday. Gunnlaugsson told reporters the offer is not exactly in line with what was discussed by negotiators from the three countries in London last week.
The latest move from by London and The Hague is said to have taken the Icelandic authorities somewhat by surprise, as options other than a loan to Iceland were being discussed last week, Gunnlaugsson said.
While a response is expected this week, it is unlikely that Iceland will formally reply to the offer today.
Iceland confirms receipt of revised Icesave offer
Saturday, February 20th, 2010Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 8:29 a.m. REYKJAVIK, Iceland - Iceland's finance ministry has received a revised proposal from Britain and the Netherlands on the repayment of $5.7 billion to the two countries following the collapse of the Icesave online bank, a spokesman said Saturday.
British and Dutch stall Iceland’s new Icesave plan
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
The British and Dutch authorities have not agreed to reopen Icesave negotiations despite ‘useful’ meeting.
The newest Icesave meeting between Iceland, the Netherlands and the UK has come to a close with no agreement to meet again in the near future, although Iceland’s Finance Ministry is describing the London meeting as useful despite no immediate agreement to restart contract negotiations.
The British and Dutch demanded that a cross-party consensus be reached in Iceland before they would consider a renegotiation. This condition was met, but the exact details of Iceland’s united negotiation goals have not been made public.
Icelandic Finance Minister Steingrimur J. Sigfusson told RUV that it is still possible that the 6th March referendum on the current unpopular Icesave proposal will be called off – but it is not clear what the alternative will be if the British and Dutch refuse to renegotiate.
New Icesave negotiations to begin today
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Representatives of the Icelandic government and opposition met over the weekend to decide their goals in this week’s Icesave discussions with the Netherlands and the UK.
Finance Minister Steingrimur J. Grimsson told RUV that the delegation representing Iceland has already been organised and briefed; and left for London this morning.
The three nations will meet to discuss a possible renegotiation of the Icesave deal which could avoid the need for a referendum in Iceland on 6th March, which the government is widely predicted to lose. The location of the meeting and when exactly this week it will take place were not known until today.
According to RUV sources, the meeting will commence today in London and the five-man Icelandic delegation will include imported expert Lee Buchheit. Three of the other four members of the delegation were also in the original Icesave negotiations last year.
Iceland waits to hear next Icesave step
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010Icelandic government representatives are already in London and ready to attend talks on the issue, RUV reports. However, it was also reported that the Dutch government did not make itself entirely clear in its communication intended as a courteous and constructive rejection of the Dutch and British Icesave counter offer.
Jan Kees de Jager is the new Dutch Finance Minister since he was appointed yesterday as part of The Netherlands’ temporary government. He told media he is not well enough informed about Icesave to make any formal comments yet.
De Jager took over the role of Finance Minister yesterday afternoon after it was decided to hold new elections in June and have a caretaker government in the meantime. Although he was previously Vice Finance Minister, de Jager told reporters he has not yet been personally involved in the Icesave issue.
Tags: Caretaker Government, Dutch Government, Elections, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Formal Comments, Government Representatives, Holland, Iceland, Icesave, Jager, Kees, London, Netherlands, Rejection, Yesterday Afternoon
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