By Fredrik Dahl

BRUSSELS - The European Commission will make a last-ditch attempt late on Sunday to solve a row over European Union imports of Norwegian salmon which has strained relations between Oslo and Brussels. The EU executive failed despite three hours of talks on Thursday to agree a proposal by EU Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan which would have averted the threat of a damaging trade conflict with Norway. Brittan's spokesman said an extrordinary meeting to decide the issue would be held on Sunday evening starting at 2100 local (1900 GMT). Brittan had put forward a proposal agreed in talks this week with Norwegian negotiators on how to resolve the fish dispute without the Commission imposing an anti-dumping duty of 13.7 percent on imports of farmed salmon from Norway. The Commission had earlier considered imposing the import duty, accusing the country's producers of receiving state subsidies and dumping the fish on the EU market at less than the cost of production. The spokesman said there was severe time pressur

e as the deadline for a Commission decision was on Sunday, but refused to give details about the talks. "It is quite unusual; they want more time. They have wanted to discuss some of the issues in greater detail," he told reporters. Brittan's proposal includes a form of minimum price as well as an export duty on Norwegian salmon, rather than the EU anti-dumping import duty, the Norwegian news agency said. In addition, Norway had agreed to limit the growth in exports over the next five years. However, EU Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino and Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock were said to be against such an outcome, apparently pressing for an anti-dumping duty. Oslo has repeatedly said it wants to solve the issue through dialogue, rather than through confrontation with unilateral trade measures. Norway's salmon exports to the EU are worth some 5.5 billion crowns ($778 million) annually. Scottish and Irish competitors say Norway, the world's biggest producer, is flooding the market and depressing prices. Nor

way, which like the EU is part of the 18-nation European Economic Area, strongly rejects the allegations, saying Scottish producers have actually increased their market shares. The trade conflict is seen in Norway as the most serious dispute with the EU since Norwegians rejected membership of the bloc in a 1994 referendum. Last month, Norwegian Prime MinisterThorbjoern Jagland urged the Commission not to impose the anti-dumping duties, saying in a letter to Commission President Jacques Santer the matter may "lead to most unfortunate complications in the relations between the European Union and Norway". Several EU countries oppose the idea of placing import duties on salmon, but the EU executive has the power to impose provisional duties without the consent of member states.