Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.05.2006, Síða 5

President to Lay Cornerstone to
Economically Unviable Dam
The president of Iceland, Mr.
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, placed
the cornerstone for the construc-
tion of an operational house for the
Kárahnjúkar dam on May 12. Ar-
riving in a chartered jet, 180 guests
in Egilsstaðir witnessed the event
and took a tour of the dam site.
Meanwhile, the Icelandic
Nature Conservation Association
issued a statement claiming that the
dam’s economic viability is grossly
overstated.
According to the statement,
the price of energy is 1.20 ISK per
Kwh. This is a lower number than
the Icelandic Nature Conservation
Association used in an earlier pro-
jection of the economical viability
of the dam. According to that pro-
jection, the dam’s worth is minus 40
billion ISK, in relation to a normal
required rate of return.
In a conversation with The
Grapevine, the President of the
Icelandic Nature Conservation As-
sociation, Árni Finnsson, said, “We
obtained this information from a
person we consider to be an ex-
tremely reliable source. We thought
today would be a good day to reveal
the information.”
Iceland’s First Lady Involved in
Diplomatic Incident in Israel
Dorrit Moussaieff, the Israeli-born
wife of President Ólafur Ragnar
Grímsson, was detained at Israel’s
Ben Gurion airport recently, after
she got into an argument with
security personnel who refused to
acknowledge her British passport.
Part of the incident was captured on
film and shown on Israeli televi-
sion, where it was described as an
international incident.
Moussaieff, who was in Israel
on a private visit, is a British citizen
despite being born in Jerusalem in
1950. She told RÚV that the air-
port staff demanded that she pres-
ent them with an Israeli passport.
When she couldn’t produce one, she
says they were rude and aggressive,
asking her suggestive and personal
questions such as “What is it like to
have a husband who’s not a Jew?”
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
JTA, has reported that during the
exchange the First Lady responded
with various insults of her own,
including the statement: “This is
why everyone hates the Jews.”
Moussaieff told RÚV that in
the heat of the moment she may
have gone too far, but that the
rudeness of the security staff was
inexcusable.
Controversy Escalates Over
Baugur Case
A recent series of reports by RÚV
news program Kastljós sparked
fresh rows and controversy earlier
this month over the legal case be-
ing pursued against the owners
of financial and retail behemoth
Baugur. Representatives of Baugur
accused Kastljós editor Þórhallur
Gunnarsson and his staff of bias
and of being personal friends with
Baugur’s main accuser, Jón Gerald
Sullenberger.
Amongst those to come forward
with their own statements regard-
ing the program’s reporting so far
are Baugur’s Chairman Hreinn
Loftsson, its former CEO Tryggvi
Jónsson, current CEO Jón Ásgeir
Jóhannesson and his father and
Bónus’ founder Jóhannes Jónsson.
One of the main issues this time
around is the credibility of Sul-
lenberger as a source. The Reyk-
javík district court, which recently
threw out a different set of charges
against the Baugur owners that
were prompted by allegations made
by Sullenberger, has in a previous
decision found him to be an unreli-
able witness and one motivated by
personal grievances.
While the Baugur represen-
tatives continue to criticise the
Kastljós reporters’ decision to omit
any references to that fact and to
give extensive airtime to Sullen-
berger’s statements, editor Þórhal-
lur Gunnarsson has defended his
program by issuing a statement say-
ing that the previous charges were
unrelated and not relevant to the
specifics that were being discussed
on the program in question.
Stoke Holding Sells Shares
In Stoke City
Stoke Holding, a company belong-
ing to Icelandic investors, agreed
earlier this month to sell its 60%
share in Stoke City Football Club,
to Peter Coates, former chairman of
Stoke City FC from 1989 -1998.
Both parties have agreed to the
deal in principle, and the matter
should be resolved with in two
weeks. Stoke Holding CEO Gun-
nar Þór Gíslason was unavailable
for comment.
A group of Icelandic investors
bought Stoke City FC in 1999.
Former manager of the Icelandic
national team, Guðjón Þórðarson,
was installed as manager. After a
turbulent three years at the club,
where Þórðarson clashed with
members of the board repeatedly, he
was let go.
In came Tony Pulis, who was
later let go, after clashing with the
board on the matter of choosing
homegrown players at the expense
of Icelandic talent.
Next up was the Dutch Jon
Boskamp. He resigned after
clashing with the board and team
officials.
Despite turbulent times, Stoke
City has been promoted once
during the Icelandic reign, and fin-
ished this year 13th in the table for
English League Championship, the
equivalent to the former English 1st
division.
Women Challenge Football
Authorities
The Association of Icelandic Wom-
en’s Movements issued a statement
the 4th of May, challenging the
Icelandic Football Association and
the German Embassy in Iceland
to put a stop to the increase in the
number of prostitutes in Germany
during the World Cup in football
News in Brief
by gunnar hrafn jónsson, sveinn birkir björnsson and paul f. nikolov
compiled by steinunn jakobsdóttir photos by frikki
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