Barack Obama, the President of the USA, will be formally invited for an official state visit to Iceland at the first possible opportunity, Foreign Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson said on RUV news yesterday. According to Skarphedinsson, the idea came from Obama himself.
Ossur Skarphedinsson sat at the NATO summit in Strasbourg yesterday and Friday as Iceland’s representative (as Iceland is one of the founding members of NATO). According to Skarphedinsson, when Obama arrived at the first session, he came straight over and expressed his wish to visit Iceland. He said he would try to find time enough to do so, mbl.is reports.
According to Skarphedinsson, the American President explained that, in his opinion, although Iceland was the first country to fall victim to the current historic global financial crisis, it will also likely be the first to recover.
AND WHO DOESN´T? SPECIALLY NOW THAT IS AT 60% DISCOUNT ??
HAHAHAHAHA,,, ;D
Barack Obama State to watch video.
“it will also likely be the first to recover”
Gee – he says the nicest things…
THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID COMMISSION IS GOING TO HAVE A MEETING IN WICH IT IS ALSO GOING TO BE CONSIDERED TO SEND FOOD AID TO ICELAND IN THE NEXT MONTHS AS IFM HAS REALIZED THAT ICELAND HAS NO POSSIBLE WAY OF MAKING UP WITH THE HUGE DEBTS. THEY EXPECT THE SITUATION TO BE OF EMERGENCY IN THE NEXT MONTHS DUE TO SHORTAGE OF FOREIGN CURRENCY AND THE DRAMATIC SITUATION OF THE INDUSTRY AND OTHER SECTORS ON THE STATE ISLAND.
THIS IS SERIOUS !!
AFTER THE II WW WAS EUROPE AND MARSHALL, NOW IT IS OBAMA AND ICELAND…
I HEARD A STORY ABOUT AN ICELANDER THAT WAS ON HIS WAY TO HIS CAR WITH A TV AND FOOD THAT HE BOUGHT AT A SHOPPING CENTER IN REYKJAVÍK, THEN ANOTHER ICELANDER APPROACHED HIM AND SAID: “KEEP THE TV AND GIVE ME THE FOOD!! MY FAMILY IS STARVING!!”
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF ICELANDIC FAMILIES THAT HAS NO ACCESS TO MANY FOOD PRODUCTS OR NOT ACCESS TO FOOD AT ALL… THIS IS SERIOUS AND IT SHOULD NOT BE HIDDEN.
THIS GOBERMENT HAS DONE ALMOST NOTHING FOR THOSE WHO ARE MOST DESPERATED… PEOPLE NEED HELP, AND THAT HELP IS LIKELY TO COME FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES AGAIN,
FIRST IT WAS HUGE LOANS AND MONEY FOR THE GOBERMENT AND BANKERS, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE?? NOW IT IS GOING TO BE INTERNATIONAL HELP IN THE WAY OF FOOD AND MEDICINES…
Sir Euro always I belive what you says, but i live here and what I see is,people going lunch or dinner to the restaurante. All are full of icelanders eating and the night complety full in the weekends…or the shopping centers are many expending money and eating too
Why the news are hidding this things?!!??
all the comments here about people who starve to death in iceland are surely fabricated.dont you know that even foreign people mostly EU members would rather stay in iceland jobless than going back to their own country because the government pay them salary for 3 years or until the econmy will be stable for 1000 euros a month.how come they will get starve to death? for those who have house mortgages, they can freeze their loans. praise the lord.and pray for icelands full recovery.
It is in the best interest to say the least for Iceland to reestablish a close relationship with the US. If the US had not left Iceland, there would be no way in Hell Great Britain would have labeled Iceland a terrorist country. That is a fact, and now Britain is attempting to bully their way into the potentially rich oil reserves in the waters near Iceland. Get US back on your side quick, Iceland would have been better off not souring the relationship to the point were US was disgusted enough to leave. Now a lot of Icelanders are regretting that moment.
>That is a fact
No, it’s an unsupported opinion. One that is totally unrelated to the Rockall issue. How is it okay for Iceland to submit claims to the UN, but when the UK does it’s bullying?
The US and Britain are one and the same on foreign policy. Britain is America’s “poodle” who follows instructions as needed, mostly to maintain the pretense that the US acts as part of international consensus (eg vote for iraq war and send troops, send troops to Afganistan; never vote against Israel or help the Palestinians; dont join the euro zone and help dollar reserve status / hegemony; say bad things about the Germans). In return the US occasionally throws out a bone to the poodle, on small issues, like the Falklands War. Actually, Britain doesn’t get many bones – it is a very weak and stupid doggie.
The British have nuclear weapons, which are stored in missiles in submarines. The US holds the launch codes for the missiles. That pretty much sums up the American-British relationship.
The US-agent IMF in Iceland is helping the British get their Icesave money and other investment money back. The US doesn’t give a sh*t about Iceland and hasn’t since the CCCP crashed. Maybe if Iceland gave the whole country to the US and became a Northern Puerto Rico (which as not as unlikely as it seems) or if Iceland sends 20000 troops to Afghanistan (again not as unlikey as it seems), then things might change.
I would be very worried if Obama wastes his time and comes to Iceland. The entire world is going to hell, each day a new crisis, he needs to stay in Washington. Maybe he can send airdrops of food, lotto tickets and Prince Polo instead.
@Vilhjalm. Without addressing the UK’s poodle status, I think you’re wrong about the nuclear weapons needing US launch authorisation.
Everything I’ve read (okay, it was all wiki, but I did read it all :) ) says that if anything the UK launch system gives the sub captains more freedom than their US counterparts and does not require US approval. Although, interestingly, there are apparently sealed written orders, that vary from PM to PM, to be followed in case of a total loss of UK C&C in the face of a nuclear attack. One of the options the PM could go for is, apparently, to order the transfer of the subs to US control.
Perhaps you were thinking of US nuclear weapons deployed by the UK?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_the_United_Kingdom
That’s not a bad idea, actually. America needs a NATO ally and bodies on the ground. Iceland has too many people and 13000 unemployed open-mouths collecting welfare. Send them to Afghanistan. Call the foot-soldiers “bank managers” or IMF aid-recipients.
Icelanders are the strongest and bravest men on earth so they will survive the booby-traps and bullets. They like vacations in hot sunny countries. They like to drive overpowered vehicles and play with telephones and equipment. And America is their favorite country after Iceland.
You will see – in a year from now the American military recruiters will be walking through the steets of Reykjavik.
Vilhjalm,
Clever election political move by Össur Skarphedinsson to have President Obama on your side of the vote. After all they are from sister political parties.
The funny thing about the former American NATO base in Iceland is that a lot of people wanted it gone when it was around. Then hey, the Cold War ended and in in keeping with American policy, the base’s strategic value was degraded.
The United Kingdom is not an American client state by any means. Both nations share very strong common strategic interests from the World War II era. The UK will feel the shift in American policy focused on Asia sooner than most. Example being the Japanese Prime Minister was invited to the White House before that of Great Britain.
Vilhjalm Antonsen, your right about the Americans and Uk, i think im going to have to re think my views on USA.
THE UNEMPLOYMENT IN ICELAND? YOU GET LESS THAN 800 EUROS AT THE “FAKE RATE” YOU SEE IN ICELAND. SOMETHING DIFFERENT IS THAT YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING OUT OF ICELAND WITH THAT MONEY.
LOOK, SHOPS IN LAUGARVEGUR HAVE BEEN CLOSING ONE AFTER ANOTHER SINCE ALL THIS STARTED. PEOPLE HAVE NO MONEY.
I HAVE HEARD THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE HAVE WAITED AGES FOR NOTHING!! SO NOT EVERYONE IS GETTING A FAIR DEAL WITH THE LOANS. NOT AT ALL!!
YOU SEE NEWS EVERYDAY ABOUT ICELANDERS LEAVING THE COUNTRY.
AT THE RATE OF 164 ISK PER EURO ( TODAY THE KRÓNA LOST ANOTHER 2% IN ITS VALUE, IN ONE DAY!!…, AND WITH ALL THAT BANK RESTRICTIONS, REALLY, THE MONEY YOU MAKE IN ICELAND IS NOT WORTHY ABROAD. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. THE UNEMPLOYMENT PAYMENTS YOU GET IN ICELAND ARE LESS THAN 800 EUROS A MONTH, AND THAT IS THE BEST OF THE CASES, BECAUSE REDUCTIONS OF 10% UP TO 50% ARE APPLIED IN DIFFERENT CASES, AND YOU DON´T GET MONEY AT ALL IN A LOT MORE OF SITUATIONS, THEN YOU PAY MORE THAN A 30% IN TAXES. AND AT THE END, WHAT YOU REALLY HAVE, IN THE BEST OF THE CASES ARE ROUGHLY 500 EUROS.
THE PRICES FOR FLIGHTS ABROAD HAVE DOUBLED, ANYTHING FROM COMPUTERS TO CLOTHES ARE MORE EXPENSIVE NOW ( IN ISK). PEOPLE HERE DON´T GET 1000 EUROS A MONTH WHEN UNEMPLOYED. THEY GET MONEY “IN ICELANDIC KRÓNURS”!!. THAT IS THE MONOPOLY MONEY YOU CAN ONLY USE IN OUR ISOLATED ( GEOGRAPHICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY) COUNTRY-ISLAND.
WE HAVE BEEN ALL DROPPED INTO A COMUNIST-LIKE SYSTEM, THAT HAS THE WORST RESULTS OF CAPITALISM WITH THE BEST RESTRICTIVE ECONOMIC LAWS OF THE COMMUNIST ERA.
THE SITUATION OF MANY PEOPLE IN ICELAND IS VERY BAD. OF COURSE THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE STILL SOMEHOW ENJOYING THE BEST OF THE SYSTEM, BUT THE REALLITY IS THAT MANY ICELANDERS HAVE GONE FROM MIDDLE CLASS TO WHO KNOWS WHAT…
TELL ME: HOW DO YOU CALL SOMEONE THAT HAS LOST HIS JOB, HIS CAR, HIS HOME, ETC…?? … THE COUNTRY IS RUINED AND ICELANDERS ARE RUINED THEMSELVES. THAT IS THE TRUE, AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS.
SO ALL THE PARTY YOU TALK ABOUT OF RESTAURANTS FULL OF PEOPLE, WELL, LETS SEE BECAUSE IT IS TRUE THAT NOW THEY SELL MORE ALCOHOL THAN EVER BEFORE…
THERE ARE REALITIES IN ICELAND THAT ARE KEPT IN SECRET. IT SEEMS THAT ALL IS ABOUT THE BANKS, THE POLITICIANS, AND THE STORIES OF A GREAT ICELAND OF THE GREAT NATURAL RESOURCES… BUT WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE??
WHAT IS PEOPLE GETTING OF EVERYTHING?? DEBTS AND MISERY??
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CONSTRUCT A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY?? DOING THINGS LIKE ALWAYS?? A FEW GETTING VERY RICH AND FLEEDING THE MONEY OUT OF THE COUNTRY, AND THE REST IN DEBT AND MISERY??
HAHAHAHAHA,,, YEAH, I GO OUT TO EAT MANY DAYS A WEEK, TO GOOD PLACES…
WHAT ARE THE STORIES HERE ABOUT PEOPLE, ABOUT THE ICELANDERS THEMSELVES, THEIR STORIES AND LIFES?? WE NEED SOME REAL STUFF HERE AROUND… STORIES ABOUT REAL PEOPLE THAT ARE MORE CLOSE TO WHAT WE ARE AND EXPERIENCE…
EVERYTHING IS BEING HIDE!!
@SIR EURO (FORMER GUS)
>THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID COMMISSION…
The International Food Aid Commission? Really? How, when and where will this phantom organization reach a conclusion in its deliberations on sending aid to Iceland.
There is no argument in that things are difficult for many Icelanders but the situation does not justify your embellishements and fictitious entities to illustrate a point.
Of what consequence is it to us where and how often you dine out.
The headline should read
“Obama does not snub Ossur”
This is one of the most bizarre commenting streams yet. I don’t know what to say but can understand the anger. So you can’t take any out of country vacations and imported items are getting too expensive to buy. Fancy shops on Main St are closing. Etc, if that is the worst kind of suffering then get a grip. It can and most likely will get a lot worse. Better to be poor in Iceland than most places on earth.
I’m just a poor mouse but after ten years without a vacation of any kind I finally took one, to Iceland. Glad I did and hope to do it again this summer. You see, while things were good in Iceland it was much too expensive for me, it was only a dream. But I won’t discount the hardships of Icelanders. However I can’t worry about the lack of luxury, that is what it is like for many of us already. Ask grandma what it was like in her day, I’ll bet she’s taking this much better.
Why is it that whenever there is a Republican in the white house Iceland suffers with a rumble, but when there is a Democrat in office they are kinder to Iceland? There is no doubt that Iceland always needed assistance when it comes to food and medicine, and no doubt that Iceland stretched there oppertunities for more gains this time around. They definatly built up the country!
However Sir Euro needs to take a chill pill!!!!
YOU DON´T GET IT MOSSBACK, ICELANDIC GOBERMENT AND BANKS SURVIVE THANKS TO A HUGE INTERNATIONAL AID AND AN IFM AID. YOU SEE?? THEN, THE COUNTRY IS RUINED TO ITS MOST AND STILL FALLING.
NOW, WHO IS BAILING THE PEOPLE?, WHAT IS THE ANSWER MOSSBACK??
NO ONE!!
KAMON, WHO CAN MAKE UP WITH THE PAYMENTS?? YOU CAN?? LUCKY YOU!! I KNOW OF MANY THAT CAN´T. AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS THAT I DON´T EVEN KNOW YET…
PEOPLE LOOSE THEIR HOMES, THEIR JOBS, EVERYTHING… BUT ALL THOSE THINGS ARE A LUXUS, ISN´T IT??
AT LEAST OUR GRANDPARENTS USED TO OWN THE HOUSE WHERE THEY LIVED, BUT WHAT ABOUT ICELANDERS TODAY? MOSTLY EVERYONE HAVE TO PAY MORTAGE FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS!! AND NOW PAYING THE DOUBLE OR MORE AND GOD KNOWS UNTIL WHEN… MANY PEOPLE IS JUST GIVING UP IN PAYING!!
PEOPLE IN ICELAND IS NOT BEING BAKED ENOUGH, ALL THE MONEY HAS GONE DIRECTLY TO THE BANKS… BUT THEN PEOPLE SEE THAT THEY GET NOTHING, THE STILL HAVE TO KEEP PAYING, AND IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AT THE END IS THE SAME, BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE NO JOBS AND BANKS ARE OFFERING ONE THING TODAY AND ANOTHER TOMORROW.
KAMON DUDE!! WAKE UP!!
SENDING FOOD TO ICELAND?? WAKE UP, THE LOANS HAVE BEEN ALMOST WASTED IN MAINTAINING THE DEAD KRONA ALIVE, AND NOTHING HAS REALLY HAPPENED. NOW THEY ARE LOOSING THE INTEREST THEY SAY… YOU KNOW WHAT?? THEY DON´T EVEN HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT TO DO. IN THE MEANWHILE EVERYONE IS GETTING SCREWED. LOOK THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LOOSING THEIR JOBS AND GETTING REDUCTIONS IN THEIR WORKING HOURS. LOOK THE HUNDREDS OF COMPANIES CLOSING EVERY MONTH.
THAT IS THE REALITY OF THIS SOCIETY, NOT ONLY THE BANK SYSTEM.
I DON´T SEE THE ICELANDIC GOBERMENT TAKING ANY DECISIVE ACTION TO BAIL PEOPLE. ALL IS ABOUT THE BANK CRAP AND DOING AS IF PEOPLE WILL MAKE IT TO PAY SOMEHOW… NO, THE INTERNATIONAL HELP SHOULD BE ALSO FOR ICELANDERS. INSTEAD, WHAT THE GOBERMENT DOES IS REDUCING SERVICES IN HEALTH SYSTEM AND MAKING HUGE CUTS IN EDUCATION AND ANY SERVICES FOR THE CITIZENS… THERE IS NO MONEY THEY SAY…
BUT THEN YOU GO AND YOU SEE THE CENTRAL BANK OF ICELAND STILL BURNING FOREIGN CASH TO KEEP THIS CIRCUS OF THE ICELANDIC KRONA GOING ON WHILE THE ECONOMY IS STILL FALLING AND PEOPLE GETTING DESPERATED. OR IS IT NOT DESPERATION ENTIRE FAMILIES ABANDONING THE COUNTRY TO WORK ABROAD AND BE ABLE TO PAY FOR A ROOF AND FEED THEIR CHILDREN?? THEY WOULD NOT LEAVE THE COUNTRY IF THEY HAD F***ING WAY OF DOING IT HERE!!
IN QUESTION OF ONE MONTH ALL THE INTERNATIONAL HELP WILL BE TOTALLY WEAPED, DRIED UP, BURNED!! CHOOSE AS YOU LIKE… AND THEN WHAT?? MORE LOANS?? FOR WHOM? FOR THE BANKS AND THE BANKERS??
DO YOU KNOW THE QUANTITY OF FOREIGN PRODUCTS THAT ICELAND NEEDS TO IMPORT FROM ABROAD?? HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY IN KRONURS?? YES, WAKE UP… SOON YOU WILL SEE THE ICELANDERS GETTING HELP BUT NOT IN THE WAY OF MONEY BUT FOOD AND MEDICINES… MAINLY COMING FROM EU.
YES, WE CAN EAT FISH, BUT WHEN THE MOTOR OF YOUR SHIP BREAKS DOWN, THEN HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR THE PIECES OF YOUR MOTOR… WELL, MAYBE NORTH KOREA WILL SEND THEM IN EXCHANGE FOR SOME BRENIVÍN!!! HAHAHAHA,,,
NOW, THE BLAK MARKET… IS IT A GROWING PHENOMENA IN ICELAND OR AM I JUST DREAMING? OH MY GOSH,,,, THIS ISLAND IS BECOMING ANOTHER CUBA…
@Bromley, I think that you underestimate the influence the US has over Britain. Might I remind you who won the Cod war, Iceland, the tiny isolated northern country, with the help of the United States influence. Do you think for one second the US would have let Britain label Iceland a terrorist nation with US bases operating inside of her, how absurd. The US in your corner counts for an immense amount of political clout that was now lost in Iceland. Britains claim to an underwater oil field inside of Icelands fishing zones is laughable. It just shows the extent of thier greed. Your country is more reviled then you think.
WHEN FOREIGN WORKERS HAVE REALIZED THAT WHEN THEY SEND MONEY TO THEIR FAMILIES IT TAKES AT LEAST ONE WEEK THROUGH A MESS OF BANKS, STARTING BY THE CBI, THEN THEY GET REALLY SCARED…
THIS IS NOT A THING OF FOREIGNERS OR ICELANDERS, IT IS ABOUT EVERYONE BEING IN A COUNTRY WHERE RESTRICTIONS ARE PUT IN ANYTHING CONCERNING MONEY, WHERE UNEMPLOYMENT IS EXPERIMENTING A REAL EXPLOSION, AND WHERE THE NATIONAL CURRENCY HAS NO VALUE AT ALL, AND OUT OF HERE IS JUST USELESS PAPER.
WHEN YOU CANNOT GO OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY WITH YOUR OWN MONEY AND USE IT ABROAD.. WELL, THEN YOU TELL ME IN WICH SITUATION YOUR COUNTRY IS, BECAUSE ACTUALLY, ANY EU CITIZEN CAN GO WITH EUROS EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND PEOPLE WILL TREAT THEM LIKE PRINCES… BUT IF YOU GO AND PUT OUT A BANKNOTE OF 5.000 ISK, ABROAD IT HAS NO VALUE AT ALL!!! FIVE THOUSAND KRONURS!!! YOUR MONEY ABROAD IS JUST NOTHING!! BUT HEY, YOU CAN DO A LOT WITH 5 THOUSAND EUROS IN REYKJAVIK!!
LETS ALL HAVE A STRONG EXPRESSO AND WAKE UP OK?
WHO WOULD SAID THAT? YEARS AGO IT WAS THE WHITE MAN VISITING AFRICA TO BRING FOOD TO THE POOR BLACK CHILDREN. NOW IS THE THE BLACK AFRO MEGA KING OF THE UNITED STATES COMING TO VISIT THE POORS IN ICELAND, WITH MORE PROMISES… WELL, HOPE HE WILL BRING SOME HOPE AT LEAST…
You need to read an article in Vanity Fair – Wall Street on the Tundra. This will show you what Americans think of the Icelanders…
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/04/iceland200904
@USIcelandic.
The Cod Wars were a different kettle of fish. Iceland effectively blackmailed NATO by threatening to leave if they didn’t get their way. That simply wouldn’t work now that the Soviet Union is no more, with or without a US base there.
I don’t accept that Britain has labeled Iceland a terrorist nation. Seriously, think about it. Are you suggesting that the UK has actually called Iceland a terrorist country? No, you are not, you’re just referring to the inclusion of Landsbanki (not Iceland) on list of organisations who’s assets were frozen. Now that may have had unintended consequences, but that’s a different matter. So your argument that the US wouldn’t allow the UK to call Iceland a terrorist nation if there were bases there is fatally flawed.
Next on to the actual process. Are you suggesting that the UK would call the US to get clearance before using its own laws to prevent a flight of capital? Madness; of course they would not. Given that, the damage would already have been done before the US even had a chance to intervene, even if they wanted to.
And why would they. Even assuming that the US values Iceland as much as it does the UK, why would they get involved in a banking dispute? If we accept for the moment your description of the influence that the US has over the UK, why would the US antagonise one of the two other countries in the world that is serious about helping them in Afghanistan? Just to help a bunch of people who spent 50-odd years either telling the Americans to go home or threatening to join the other side if they didn’t get the support they wanted against the British?
Regarding Rockall, not sure why the UK’s claim would be laughable. Tell you what is though – Iceland’s claim. Have a look at the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs map and have a quick laugh at the Icelandic claim, which extends further south than the UK :D . Who’s greedy now? Oh, and you’re mixing up EEZ and shelf rights.
http://www.utanrikisraduneyti.is/media/Frettamyndir/landgrunnsk_hatton_rockall.jpg
If you’re still with me, it’s just too funny to see a yank telling someone else that their country is reviled :P .
Bromley86 said: “Regarding Rockall, not sure why the UK’s claim would be laughable.”
Maybe this pythonesque statement from the British Foreign Office inspired a level of derision
“We are disappointed that agreement on joint action has not proved possible,”
“We hope [other countries] do not feel the need to dispute the UK’s submission.”
According to knowledgeable opinion, the Brits recent claim is exaggerated and widely out of proportion, at a time when the nations involved are trying to reach agreement before the final submissions.
>According to knowledgeable opinion
Cite?
Did you have a look at that map? Is Iceland’s proposed claim not exaggerated & wildly out of proportion? Either way, the rules that allow Iceland to potentially claim all that shelf are the same ones that the UK are trying to use in their favour.
Nice to see our FO do have a sense of humour :) .