Cluster: Swiss Abroad

United cabinet urges Libya to comply with accord

This content was published on Sep 2, 2009 President Hans-Rudolf Merz and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Wednesday repeated Switzerland’s commitment to complying with the terms of the deal aimed at normalising relations soured by the arrest of Hannibal Gaddafi in Geneva last year. “The government is willing to restore the once-good relations with Libya,” Merz and Calmy-Rey said in a statement read…

Swiss Politics

Swiss frustrated over nuclear talks blockage

This content was published on Sep 2, 2009 In an interview with swissinfo.ch, Jürg Streuli, Switzerland’s representative at the Conference on Disarmament, said hopes had been high that serious negotiations could have begun this year to end the production of fissile material for bombs. Arms negotiators failed to clear the way on Monday for the start of talks as Pakistan, which tested a…

Swiss Politics

Tough arbitrator picked for Libya tribunal

This content was published on Sep 1, 2009 Elizabeth Wilmshurst came to public notice in 2003 when she stepped down from the British Foreign Office in disagreement over the legality of the Iraq war. Two years later the details of her resignation were made public under the Freedom of Information Act and reignited controversies over the war. Wilmshurst, now an international law specialist…

Swiss Politics

Libya reportedly demands money for freedom

This content was published on Sep 1, 2009 Media reports say that Libya is now demanding that 500,000 Libyan dinars (SFr423,000) be paid by each man before they are allowed to return to Switzerland. It is not clear whether the money is supposed to be a fine or bail. The businessmen were detained in July 2008 in the aftermath of the arrest of…

Swiss Politics

Swiss mediate Armenia-Turkey talks

This content was published on Sep 1, 2009 Both sides said in a joint statement, also signed by Switzerland as mediator, that they expected the talks to take six weeks and to end with an agreement setting up and developing diplomatic ties. However the neighbouring countries will not discuss the deepest source of their enmity: the First World War massacres and deportation of…

Swiss Politics

Oil seen as key to Swiss-Libyan relations

This content was published on Sep 1, 2009 The veteran journalist, who used to give guided tours of Libya, tells swissinfo.ch that with suffocating boycotts lifted and Switzerland importing more than SFr1.6 billion ($1.5 billion) of oil a year, Libya now has the upper hand. The anniversary celebrations come as relations hit an all-time low – the Swiss foreign ministry is currently advising…

Swiss Politics

Libya not yet ready to release two Swiss

This content was published on Aug 31, 2009 Switzerland had expected the two men – detained in Libya since July 2008 – to be allowed to fly home before September 1, as part of a deal reached with Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz. The latest announcement by the general secretary of the Libyan foreign ministry, Khaled Kaim, is another obstacle in a diplomatic dispute…

Swiss Politics

Italian-speaking Ticino fights for cabinet seat

This content was published on Aug 31, 2009 The local Ticino chapter on Monday put forward Luigi Pedrazzini, director of police and justice of his canton. The Christian Democrats argued that the Italian-speaking region of the country deserved to be represented in the national government, saying the local population was outraged over the refusal by the Radicals to shortlist its prominent member, Fulvio…

Swiss Politics

No live weapons given to army guards

This content was published on Aug 31, 2009 Instead soldiers guarding army properties and embassies will be handed pepper spray for self defence. The guards will still carry weapons with loaded magazines but with no ammunition in the firing chamber. Commanders still have the right to order guard duty with guns ready to be fired based on the needs of a situation, such…

Swiss Politics

Libyan asylum seekers should stay, Amnesty says

This content was published on Aug 31, 2009 The call by Amnesty comes on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Moammar Gaddafi seizing power in the North African state. In a statement on Monday, Amnesty said that several Libyans, having been deported after their asylum requests were rejected, were detained, interrogated and some even condemned to long-term prison sentences. As long as…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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United cabinet urges Libya to comply with accord

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Swiss frustrated over nuclear talks blockage

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Tough arbitrator picked for Libya tribunal

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Libya reportedly demands money for freedom

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Swiss mediate Armenia-Turkey talks

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Oil seen as key to Swiss-Libyan relations

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Libya not yet ready to release two Swiss

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Italian-speaking Ticino fights for cabinet seat

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No live weapons given to army guards

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Libyan asylum seekers should stay, Amnesty says

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