Today, the Dutch media, including Der Volkskrant, Trouw, FEM and the Dutch National Radio, claim that the Dutch Foreign Minister is pressuring Össur Skarphédinsson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to finish the Icesave agreement as soon as possible.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Össur Skarphédinsson.
Skarphédinsson has confirmed that the Dutch Foreign Minister, Maxime Verhage, has called him today.
Der Volskrant also claims that Verhagen told Skarphédinsson that if Iceland intends to meet the requirements regarding EU membership, accepting the Icesave agreement is crucial.
Skarphédinsson told RUV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, that Verhagen called him today but that he could not fully disclose the content of the conversation.
However, he did say that Verhagen had congratulated him on the fact that Althingi had agreed to begin discussion with EU. Also, the Dutch Minister asked about how the Icesave agreement was going, and declared that the sooner it were settled, the better.
Skarphédinsson also told RUV that he was not surprised by the phone call, since he knows that the matter is much discussed in The Netherlands.
