He heard that the Russian prime minister was visiting Oslo and Mr Clinton thought it might offer a useful opportunity to beg Mr Yeltsin's man to stop the war in Chechnya. A promising diplomatic meeting was hustled out of sight with the arrival of a suddenly-alerted press circus accompanying the president of the United States. Before coming to the main point I'd better say that Mr Barak and Mr Arafat were in no mood to conduct serious discussions and retired into their prepared positions. But the truly disheartening story about Mr Clinton's visit to Norway is the effect of the presidential entourage on the Norwegian establishment and the Norwegian people. Only one reporter I've come across, one Alex Vardamis, put the thing in its social context - the effect on the ordinary Norwegians.
Citizens pride themselves on an unpretentious lifestyle.
What shocked the Norwegians was the imperial nature of the American delegation. The president arrived with an official entourage of more than 700. Seven hundred courtiers and sundry retainers, who appropriated an entire hotel in down town Oslo. Mr Clinton was assigned three bedrooms, each with cheerful fireplace and three baths, jacuzzis, gold fixings. The Norwegians plainly realised that other heads of democratic states do not choose to boast about their unpretentious lifestyle.