Swiss urge Bush to honour Kyoto protocol

Joseph Deiss (left) passed on Swiss concerns about the Kyoto Protocol to Colin Powell Keystone

The Swiss president, Moritz Leuenberger, has urged President George W Bush to reconsider his decision to abandon the Kyoto Protocol on reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses. His appeal, contained in a letter, was handed over in Washington by the Swiss foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, to the US secretary of state, Colin Powell.

In the letter, Leuenberger expressed concern at Bush’s decision, and urged the president to “reconsider your position and…continue cooperation within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol”.

Leuenberger argues that climate change is now known to pose “a real risk for the well-being of our planet”. He adds that “mitigation efforts are needed” and “time is limited”.

The Swiss president says the Kyoto Protocol is the most “appropriate way to address this challenge at a global level”.

Deiss delivered the message while in Washington to meet Powell. The issue dominated their half-hour meeting – the first between Swiss leaders and the new Bush administration.

The Swiss foreign minister said after the talks that Switzerland shared the European Union’s position on the Kyoto Protocol. The EU last week expressed its concern at the US move.

A Swiss foreign ministry official said Powell laid out the US position, and said he would hand Leuenberger’s message to President Bush.

Deiss and Powell also discussed the Middle East and the situation in the balkans, but no details were released.

Relations between the two countries were described as “excellent”. Two issues that could have potentially strained Swiss-American relations, were not touched upon, during the meeting: the case of the fugitive commodity trader, Marc Rich, and that of the former Kremlin aide, Pavel Borodin.,

Before the meeting, the state department confirmed the nomination of businessman Mercer Reynolds as the new US ambassador to Switzerland. If confirmed by the Senate, Reynolds will succeed Ambassador Richard Fredericks.

The Swiss government earlier named Christian Blickenstorfer to succeed Ambassador Alfred Defago in Washington.

swissinfo