Swiss Politics

“I have learned a lot about the horrors of war”

This content was published on Dec 9, 2007 Del Ponte, who leaves the United Nations post at the end of the year, is to become Swiss ambassador to Argentina. swissinfo: How do you feel about leaving? Carla Del Ponte: I am ready to move on. I have been doing this job for more than eight years and I am looking forward to the…

Swiss Politics

Online expert links up with conservatives

This content was published on Dec 7, 2007 The 31-year-old member of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party says she is proof that her party is not just “a club of old men”, as it is often portrayed in the media. Rickli represents Zurich in parliament. She is keen to fight for her political aims, and wants Switzerland to stay out of the European…

Swiss Politics

Swiss highlight diplomatic approach over Iran

This content was published on Dec 4, 2007 The US report said with “high confidence” that it believed Iran had halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, but that Tehran was continuing to enrich uranium and was keeping its atomic options open. This is in contrast to earlier US assessments that Iran was pushing ahead with its weapons programme, a charge Tehran has…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland and Romania talk cooperation

This content was published on Dec 4, 2007 Speaking after meeting her Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu on Tuesday, Calmy-Rey said voters could have the final say on the agreement if the accord was contested. Romania, which joined the European Union at the beginning of the year alongside Bulgaria, is Switzerland’s main trading partner in southeastern Europe. Non-EU member Switzerland has gradually opened its…

Swiss Politics

Swiss receive good report in school survey

This content was published on Dec 4, 2007 However, a senior education official downplayed the relevance of the study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Isabelle Chassot, who heads the Conference of Cantonal Education Directors, warned in Bern on Tuesday that even though pupils were asked the same set of questions in 57 countries, the study should not be seen…

Swiss Politics

Parliament elects new speakers

This content was published on Dec 3, 2007 The House of Representatives elected André Bugnon, a member of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, to head the 200-member chamber. Christoffel Brändli, also from the People’s Party, is in charge of conducting the sessions of the 46-member Senate. Both of them look back over long careers as parliamentarians on a federal and local level and…

Swiss Politics

Russian elections “a defeat for democracy”

This content was published on Dec 3, 2007 President Vladimir Putin’s party collected nearly two-thirds of the votes for the new legislature, a victory that should enable him to remain the country’s de facto leader should he leave office as planned next year. After 98 per cent of the votes were counted, Putin’s United Russia was guaranteed 300 of the State Duma’s 450…

Swiss Politics

Young Green bares all for his political cause

This content was published on Dec 3, 2007 The Green Party member says he will fight for a more just society and non-violence as well as placing environmental issue high on his agenda. But he says he has no plans to surprise the new parliament with any stunts during the first three-week session, which opens on Monday. He made the headlines by launching…

Swiss Politics

“I’m not the Rasputin of foreign affairs”

This content was published on Dec 2, 2007 The Swiss president’s chief of staff and key foreign policy advisor is leaving the administration for a job in the banking industry. Balzaretti, 42, hopes to use his diplomatic qualities in his new post, which he describes as a “great opportunity to enrich my professional knowledge”. swissinfo: What attracted you to the world of diplomacy…

Swiss Politics

Putin’s party set for Russian election win

This content was published on Dec 1, 2007 Despite widely reported political repression taking place in Moscow and elsewhere, Switzerland has chosen to pursue the development of its relationship with Russia. “The result is in no doubt,” said Thérèse Obrecht, a former Swiss television correspondent in the Russian capital. “These elections are turning into a plebiscite for Putin.” Opposition parties have been harassed…

Swiss Politics

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Swiss Politics

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“I have learned a lot about the horrors of war”

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Online expert links up with conservatives

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Swiss highlight diplomatic approach over Iran

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Switzerland and Romania talk cooperation

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Swiss receive good report in school survey

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Parliament elects new speakers

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Russian elections “a defeat for democracy”

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Young Green bares all for his political cause

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“I’m not the Rasputin of foreign affairs”

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Putin’s party set for Russian election win

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