Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Engineer to be extradited in nuclear probe

This content was published on May 13, 2005 Swiss prosecutors want to establish whether Urs Tinner breached the country’s law on war materials by illegally exporting nuclear bomb-making equipment to the North African nation. Prosecutors in the German city of Cologne said on Friday that the 40-year-old Swiss would be handed over within the next few days. Hansjürg Mark Wiedmer, spokesman for the…

Swiss Politics

Schengen/Dublin campaign turned on its head

This content was published on May 12, 2005 The parties and organisations backing a “yes” vote are using provocative posters and slogans to sway voters ahead of the nationwide ballot on June 5. “Warning to all criminals: Schengen/Dublin gives the police more powers” is the message on a poster showing someone in handcuffs. This is a typical theme for a campaign by the…

Swiss Politics

The cost of staying out of Dublin

This content was published on May 11, 2005 If voters opt to join Schengen/Dublin in a ballot on Sunday, Swiss officials will be able to identify quickly and at minimal cost whether an asylum seeker has already applied in another Schengen country. Unofficial estimates suggest that approximately 20 per cent of asylum applications in Switzerland are second applications, according to the Integration Office.…

Swiss Politics

Voting rights for foreigners gaining ground

This content was published on May 11, 2005 At the end of April, the people of Geneva decided to grant foreign residents the right to vote – a right that already exists in several Swiss cantons. Fifty-two per cent of the canton’s citizens said yes to a proposal to introduce voting rights for foreigners in local authority elections. Consequently, on April 25, Geneva…

Swiss Politics

Schengen vote threatens government cohesion

This content was published on May 11, 2005 Political analyst Julian Hottinger told swissinfo that the justice minister was caught between his obligation to toe the government line and the demands of his rightwing People’s Party. Blocher broke cabinet ranks on Sunday by declaring his opposition to the Schengen/Dublin accords on fighting crime and asylum. Under the principles of collegiality the seven cabinet…

Swiss Politics

Swiss water expert to mediate in dam dispute

This content was published on May 11, 2005 Both sides have welcomed the appointment of Lafitte, who is a civil engineer and a professor at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. “Both India and Pakistan have found Professor Lafitte suitably qualified as a neutral expert,” commented the Washington-based bank in a statement. “His findings will be made known in time.” The Baghliar…

Swiss Politics

Late recognition for Swiss peace mediator

This content was published on May 6, 2005 Max Waibel’s negotiating skills led to the capitulation of the German forces in Italy and are believed to have saved many lives. Political and military figures were among those who attended the ceremony in Lucerne on Friday – two days before the 60th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. The bronze plaque…

Swiss Politics

Swiss sound alarm over disarmament inertia

This content was published on May 3, 2005 Peter Maurer, Swiss ambassador to the UN in New York, called on Tuesday for more to be done to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Maurer was addressing delegates on the second day of a conference on the NPT in New York. The treaty, signed in 1970, was designed to stop the spread of weapons,…

Swiss Politics

“Opponents of Schengen are spreading fear”

This content was published on May 2, 2005 But in an interview with swissinfo, Micheline Calmy-Rey said she was confident of winning support for the Schengen/Dublin accords when they are put to a vote on June 5. Schengen/Dublin governs closer cooperation with the EU on crime and asylum. The treaties form part of a second set of bilateral accords signed between Bern and…

Swiss Politics

UN requests Swiss help in Hariri investigation

This content was published on Apr 30, 2005 Five Swiss experts took part in the first UN inquiry in March. Hariri was killed by a car bomb in Beirut on February 14. The foreign ministry said the request had been received on Saturday and was being considered. “The foreign ministry will discuss this request over the next few days with the departments concerned,”…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Engineer to be extradited in nuclear probe

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Schengen/Dublin campaign turned on its head

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The cost of staying out of Dublin

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Voting rights for foreigners gaining ground

More

Schengen vote threatens government cohesion

More

Swiss water expert to mediate in dam dispute

More

Late recognition for Swiss peace mediator

More

Swiss sound alarm over disarmament inertia

More

“Opponents of Schengen are spreading fear”

More

UN requests Swiss help in Hariri investigation

Popular Stories

Most Discussed