"The Nordic countries must act now and show solidarity with the people of Iceland. We should offer loans on reasonable terms, and altogether support the people of Iceland to restore the Icelandic economy", says Line Barfod Line Barfod of the Danish Red-Green Alliance party (Enhedslisten) and member of the Nordic Council Presidium, on Enhedslisten.dk.

Barfod believes that it is unreasonable that the Icelandic people should be forced into poverty, have their health care and educational systems ruined to ensure prompt payment to Dutch and British speculators.

She calls for the Nordic countries to enter into direct negotiations with Iceland.
"Up until now the Nordic governments have demanded that Iceland makes a deal with Great Britain and the Netherlands before they will help Iceland with loans. But the conditions that Great Britain and Holland are setting are so absurd that the Nordic countries should drop that demand and instead negotiate directly with Iceland on a fair deal", says the Danish politician to Enhedslisten.dk.

Barfod will now ask the Danish minister of finance to raise the matter soon with his Nordic colleagues.

Icelanders are also getting support in Norway. During the foreign policy debate in the Norwegian Storting on 7 January the Norwegian Member of the Council, Per Olaf Lundteigen (SP), said

"Norway is involved in development and aid work all over the globe, and we cannot stand passively by observing the Icelanders in need.

Lundteigen underlined that it was important that Iceland met its international obligations, but, at the same time, called for Norway to do what it could bilaterally to support Iceland.

"In a situation where Iceland may become more isolated, it is important that Norway leads the way to establish a realpolitik platform for long-term solidarity between Norway and Iceland and shows an outstretched hand", said Lundteigen on Thursday. He represents the Centre Party and is a member of the Nordic Council's Business and Industry Committee.

These moves come after last week's events in Iceland, when the President rejected the government's bill on Icesave and sent the decision on to the people in a referendum. This has caused a political crisis in Iceland which is already very badly hit by the financial crisis.

See also: Grétarsdóttir : - Iceland will stand by its commitments