Norway warned Australia on Wednesday that a very serious situation Would ensue if Australian troops attempted to take physical control of a Norwegian freighter carrying hundreds of Afghan refugees who were rescued from a sinking boat at Canberra's request.
The soldiers on board have not claimed any such control so far, Norwegian foreign ministry spokesman Karsten Klepsvik said, dismissing an assertion by Australian Prime Minister John Howard that elite Australian troops had taken control of the ship, the Tampa.

“If they physically should take control of the vessel and force it out again against the captain's will that would be a very serious situation,” he said.
He did not specify how Norway would respond to such a move. Klepsvik said that Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenber and other top officials were in steady contact with their Australian counterparts and were insisting that Australia, which asked for and assisted in the refugee rescue, must take responsibility for those refugees.

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“Our Prime Minister has called their Prime Mininster several times over the last 24 hours and we have really urged them to reconsider their position and stick to their international obligation and to unload these people on Christmas Island,” Klepsvik said.

Bureau Report