Swiss president to meet British prime minister in London
The Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, will meet the British prime minister, Tony Blair, at his Dowing Street residence in London on Monday. Ogi is on a three-day official visit in Britain.
The talks are expected to focus on Anglo-Swiss relations. In particular, Ogi will take the opportunity to discuss the progress being made in the ratification process of the bilateral treaties between the European Union and Switzerland.
The parliaments of all 15 EU member states have to ratify the accords if they are to come into force on schedule in January.
Blair and Ogi will also talk about Switzerland’s policy on internal security, as well as the situation in the Balkans.
It is Ogi’s second official visit this year to Britain – in April he met Prince Charles.
On Saturday Ogi gave a speech to Britain’s Swiss community in London to mark Switzerland’s forthcoming national holiday, August 1. Ogi spoke of the need for a modern Swiss foreign policy and described himself as a patriot.
He will return to Switzerland on Tuesday.
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