Minister refused to meet opponent on TV

Foreign Minister Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, who was formerly Minister of Industry, refused to meet Steingrímur J. Sigfússon leader of the Left Green party on discussion programme Kastljósið last night. Both of them had been invited to the state television programme to discuss the report of geophysicist Grímur Björnsson which criticised the Kárahnjúkar dam and was hidden from public view. Sverrisdóttir refused to meet her opponent on live television but accepted to be interviewed by herself.

Sigfússon wrote an outraged open letter published in the papers today criticising RÚV state television. " In this way politicians can control discussion on important state matters on your show." According to Þórhallur Gunnarsson, editor of Kastljósið, they had to take back Sigfússon's invitation to the show because ot the Minister's refusal to meet him for discussion, and that the editors believed they would be able to counter the Minister with important questions themselves.