Government steps up fight against terrorism
The Swiss government has approved a United Nations accord aimed at combating the financing of international terrorism. The agreement makes it a punishable crime to support terrorist activities regardless of whether an attack is actually carried out.
The foreign ministry said on Wednesday that as a leading financial centre Switzerland was keen to support international efforts to fight the funding of terrorist acts around the world.
Under the accord, the funding of terrorist activities is considered a punishable crime regardless of whether an attack was actually carried out. The international convention also aims to improve cooperation between signatory states to combat crime.
The agreement was signed by 42 countries, following approval by the UN General Assembly in 1999. But only three states have ratified it so far: Britain, Sri Lanka and Botswana.
The Swiss parliament has still to discuss the agreement before it can be ratified. A spokesman for the foreign ministry said a number of legal amendments were necessary to bring Swiss law in line with the accord.
swissinfo 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.