Couchepin honoured in Lebanon
Swiss Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin has received an honorary doctorate from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon.
The minister is currently on a visit to the country and will later move on to Syria.
In his speech of thanks at the French-speaking university, Couchepin said that the accolade was a sign of his affection for Lebanon, especially for the Christian communities there.
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik is a private Catholic higher education institution, which was established by the Lebanese Maronite Order in 1961.
On Friday Couchepin will meet the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and the Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
After arriving in Syria at the weekend, the minister, whose mandate covers culture, will visit an archaeological site on which a Geneva University team is working.
His agenda also includes meetings with his Syrian culture counterpart Riad Naasan Agha and with the vice-president Najah al-Attah.
swissinfo.ch with agencies
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.