About one thousand people held a peaceful protest against Kosovo independence in Zurich on Saturday.
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The meeting had been called by pro-Serbia groups, and had been given official permission.
The demonstrators waved Serbian flags and chanted anti-independence slogans, such as “Kosovo is Serbia” and “We shall not give Kosovo away.”
A speaker criticised Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey for her support for Kosovo independence, and accused her of having shaken hands with a “war criminal”, when she met Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
The meeting dispersed peacefully after about two and half hours.
Although pro-Serbia groups had called for similar gatherings in Bern, Aarau and St Gallen, the police said they did not materialise.
The authorities in Geneva have granted permission for a pro-Serbia meeting to be held there on Sunday.
Kosovo declared itself independent on February 17, provoking intense anger in Serbia. A mass demonstration degenerated into violence in Belgrade on Thursday.
The Swiss government amended its advice to travellers to Serbia on Friday, warning them to avoid “demonstrations and large gatherings of any sort”.
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Swiss one step closer to recognising Kosovo
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The foreign affairs committee of the House of Representatives on Friday followed the lead of the Senate committee in recommending that cabinet recognise the independence of the former Serb province. But the House of Representatives committee, which voted 15 to ten in favour of recognition, advised that the government find a way to do this…
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Across Switzerland, which in 2005 became the first state worldwide to call for formal independence, thousands of Kosovars celebrated the birth of the world’s newest country on Sunday afternoon by driving through towns and waving flags. Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Sunday repeated Switzerland’s “total support” for Kosovo and said the issue of recognising…
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European Union member countries are considering a response to Sunday’s move, while the United Nations Security Council failed to agree on a common stance. The Zurich-based Tages-Anzeiger newspaper describes Kosovo’s decision as a baptism of fire and the birth of a new European nation as somewhat flawed. “The enthusiasm of the Kosovars might be huge,…
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