Ogi attends German parliament session
The Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, attended a session of the German parliament on Wednesday during an official visit to Berlin. Ogi was welcomed by the parliament speaker, Wolfgang Thierse, who presided over a debate on government policy.
Ogi, who arrived in Germany on Tuesday, was due to tour Berlin later in the day and view construction projects in the new German capital. He was also scheduled to meet the federal president, Johannes Rau, before wrapping up his visit.
On Tuesday, Ogi, who is also defence minister, held talks with his German counterpart, Rudolf Scharping. Their talks focused on the current reform of the German armed forces.
There was recognition of Ogi’s endeavours to promote renewable energy sources on Tuesday. The non-governmental association, Eurosolar, awarded him the Solar Prize 2000 for his involvement in Switzerland’s energy saving programme.
Eurosolar president, Hermann Scheer, praised Ogi as the “mentor” of Switzerland’s solar initiatives during his stint as energy minister in the early 1990s.
For his part, Ogi said he was a firm believer in the potential of renewable energy sources. “I always believed, and I still do believe in the ability of the world to transform itself,” Ogi said.
swissinfo with agencies
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