Today, organisers of the petition calling for an end to the sale of HS Orka and for a referendum on public ownership of natural resources met with Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and Minister of Finance Steingrímur J. Sigfússon. The following is a statement for the organisers on this meeting:
“At a meeting the undersigned met with Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and Minister of Finance Steingrímur J. Sigfússon and gave them the signatures of some 50,000 Icelanders demanding that the government prevent the sale of HS Orka and put forward a referendum on the future of our natural resources and their use.
The meeting was productive and the support of the prime minister and finance minister is cause for celebration. It was put forward that the government is looking at multiple solutions to the matter. The undersigned encouraged that the public be informed of the matter’s treatment. We do not feel as though we have the means to make a deal with the government, but we will do our best to see to it that the voice of the people has an equal footing [with the government]. We emphasized that nearly 50,000 Icelanders believe it is necessary to stop the privatisation process which is already underway. It is on the government to decide which way it wants to go. It came forward at the meeting that it was the will and the intention of the government to stop the sale of HS Orka in accordance with the previous statement. It was also emphasized that the government wants to investigate the privatisation process and to ensure the public ownership of the nation’s energy companies. Alongside this they will work on seeing to it that the resources of this country and their use will be again in public ownership. Then the necessity for an open discussion in conjunction with the referendum on the future of the nation’s energy police was also discussed. The patience of a large part of the population is running out. But we welcome a meaningful discussion and the willingness to find a solution as soon as possible.
Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Jón Þórisson og Oddný Eir Ævarsdóttir”
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