OSLO, July 6: Norway has not re ceived the internation al support it had hoped for in its attempt to impose global economic sanctions against Iran over the Salman Rushdie affair, the Norwegian foreign ministry said yesterday, reports AFP.

Spokesman Kaare Eltervaag said the foreign ministry has held talks w ith several UN member countries, but "there is no desire for a boycott off Iran like the one we want", he said.

His statement came as Iran an nounccd it was severing economic relations with Norway.

The move was in reaction to Norway's decision Monday to refrain from any further trade with Iran and to block new loans to the Persian state from the World Bank as well as its bid to join the Asia Bank. Norway said the economic sanctions were over the Iranian government s reiusal to denounce the death edict against the British author.

Rushdie was sentenced to death by the late Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini in 1989 in a "fatwa" or religious edkt. for his book The Satanic Verses", deemed blasphemous by many Muslims.

Foreign Minister Bjoern Tore Godal could not comment Wednesday on the lack of international support on the sanctions issue.