Cabinet wants extra funds for UN chief prosecutor
The cabinet has come out in favour of providing additional financial backing for the former federal prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, in her job as chief prosecutor at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
At its weekly meeting on Wednesday, the government asked parliament to approve a further SFr920,000 ($529,000) for Del Ponte’s security, travel, wages and accommodation.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the justice ministry said the government felt the extra funds were necessary to top up her lower UN salary, but also to underline the importance for Switzerland of having one its nationals in the top echelons of the UN.
The financial committee in the House of Representatives had come out against the increase because it said it was not clear why the money was needed.
However, a government spokesman, the vice-chancellor, Achille Casanova, said the cabinet would not provide further details because some of the SFr920,000 would be spent on security measures for the UN chief prosecutor.
He said naming the sum to be spent on security could jeopardise the effectiveness of the measures.
The Swiss government last year agreed to meet the costs incurred by Del Ponte in her UN post, which she took up in September 1999. It said it was requesting additional funds from parliament because it had been unable to specify precisely how much it would have to spend before she took up the post.
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