Thank you all.
At least part of the problem WAS the points in the gearbox as suggested by James. I filed the points and cleaned the connections and now wipers work. Thanks for that tip.
However, they work continuously with the arm up (although very lethargically) and operate at the same very slow speed in the first down position. They are only marginally faster at the lowest position. I can't believe they would have been like that in Sweden. The tailgate wiper doesn't work either. The car has been laid up for a long time and after years of drought It's likely the wipers haven't been used for years.
Thanks for the advice regarding fuse-maintenance and the relay locations. I'll follow the wires back now and clean all the connectors. I hope there isn't a mechanical issue with the linkages, because they seem awfully far away up behind the dash.
Does anyone know off hand which functions relate to the green, yellow and white/black wires?
Thanks again.
Great forum.