Deiss pays homage to massacre victims

The Swiss foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, has laid a wreath in the Egyptian city of Luxor, where 36 Swiss tourists were killed in a terrorist attack in 1997.

The Swiss foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, has laid a wreath in the Egyptian city of Luxor, where 36 Swiss tourists were killed in a terrorist attack in 1997.

Deiss, who’s on the last day of a visit to Egypt, paid homage to the Swiss nationals, who were among the 62 tourists killed by Islamic militants at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. The tragedy strained relations between Switzerland and Egypt.

Deiss was not accompanied by an official Egyptian delegation for what was a private visit. The ceremony took place amid tight security.

The massacre, and the question of compensation for its victims, were among the issues raised by Deiss in talks with the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, and his own counterpart, Amr Moussa, at the weekend. Following the talks, Deiss and Moussa both indicated that the tragedy would never be forgotten, but stressed that a new chapter had opened in relations between the two countries.

On the compensation question, Deiss pointed out that payments to victims had been discussed in the past, and Egypt had been “unable” to make any commitments. As a result, Deiss said, “this cash question is now settled”.

However, he called on Egypt to tighten security in its tourism industry. Moussa promised there would be no repeat of the massacre because stronger security measures were already in place.

Switzerland’s role in the Middle East peace process was also discussed during the talks. No fewer than 45 countries are participating in the peace process, which was relaunched after a two-year hiatus last month.

Unlike the United States and Russia, Switzerland is not involved in solving the major political questions. It is responsible instead for issues related to the “human dimension”, preparing proposals aimed at fostering understanding between cultures and respect for human rights.

On Tuesday, Deiss will leave Egypt for Syria, where he’ll meet the president, Hafez al-Assad, and foreign minister, Farouk al-Shara. They will discuss how to improve the lukewarm relationship between Berne and Damascus. He is also scheduled to visit Swiss observers monitoring the ceasefire in the Golan Heights.

The minister will then travel on to Lebanon, where, as well as meeting President Emile Lahoud, he will sign a bilateral agreement on the protection and promotion of investments. He also plans to visit a number of Swiss-sponsored projects in the region which are aimed at promoting human rights and cultural pluralism.

Deiss’ visit is the first official trip by a Swiss foreign minister to the three countries since 1985. He is accompanied by federal officials, parliamentarians and Swiss business leaders.

From staff and wire reports