; Progress Party [Siv
JENSEN]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Norwegian Aid Committee or NORWAC; Norwegian Association of the
Disabled; Pure Salmon Campaign; The Consumer Council (consumer
advocacy group)
other: environmental groups; media; reform movements

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic
Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA,
ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNRWA,
UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,
ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Wegger C. STROMMEN
chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000
FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870
consulate(s) general: Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Benson K. WHITNEY
embassy: Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will
move to Huseby in the near future
mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50
FAX: [47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51

Flag description:

red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of
the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist
side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy
Norway

Economy - overview:

The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism,
featuring a combination of free market activity and government
intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital
petroleum sector, through large-scale state enterprises. The country
is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower,
fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil
production and international oil prices, with oil and gas accounting
for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more
oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a
referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the
European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. The
government