Swiss Politics

No solution reached in Swiss-EU funding row

This content was published on Feb 1, 2005 The announcement came after Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey held talks with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU commissioner for external relations. Switzerland, which is not a member of the 25-nation bloc, has offered to contribute SFr1 billion ($840 million) at a rate of SFr200 million a year to the EU’s Cohesion Fund over the next five…

Swiss Politics

Confessions of a Davos virgin

This content was published on Jan 31, 2005 I arrived in Davos expecting a flood of stories about the 2005 corporate agenda – but hard-nosed business angles were few and far between. Those sessions that focused on such issues were totally upstaged by the “new agenda” of combating poverty, Aids and climate change. Indeed, with political and business leaders all vying to upstage…

Swiss Politics

Swiss hail “energy” of Porto Alegre

This content was published on Jan 31, 2005 The Forum, which wrapped up on Monday, is set to move away from Brazil next year in search of new audiences. “My feeling is the same as last year: this Forum produces lots of energy,” parliamentarian Liliane Maury Pasquier told swissinfo. “And what we have experienced here is very useful back in Switzerland for defending…

Swiss Politics

Funding row taints Swiss-EU relations

This content was published on Jan 31, 2005 Both sides are at loggerheads over the wording of an accord and which countries should benefit from the SFr1 billion ($840 million) pledged by the Swiss. The Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, will attempt to negotiate a deal with the European Commission on Tuesday. Switzerland, which is not a member of the 25-nation bloc, has…

Swiss Politics

Asylum seekers to keep working in Zurich

This content was published on Jan 30, 2005 This is due to the city council deciding to extend a revolutionary pilot project until the end of this year, which was the first of its kind in Switzerland when introduced in 2003. The head of the city’s social affairs department, Monika Stocker, said the council had thrown its entire weight behind the scheme. “We…

Swiss Politics

Israelis and Palestinians link arms in Davos

This content was published on Jan 30, 2005 In an interview with swissinfo, WEF acting director for the Middle East, Frédéric Sicre, talked about the prospects for peace and the roles the WEF and the Swiss government play. The highest-level public meeting in many years between Israel and the Palestinian Authority took place on Friday and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to working…

Swiss Politics

Palestinians hope for better lives

This content was published on Jan 30, 2005 swissinfo caught up with Mario Carera ahead of a visit to the region by the Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey. Calmy-Rey, who has been pushing the unofficial Geneva Accord as a solution to the conflict, is expected in Israel and the Occupied Territories this week. Carera has been heading the Swiss Agency for Development and…

Swiss Politics

New stab at Middle East peace on WEF sidelines

This content was published on Jan 29, 2005 She was one of five Swiss ministers attending World Economic Forum annual meeting this year in Davos; others included Economics Minister Joseph Deiss and President Samuel Schmid. Both Israeli and Palestinian representatives present at the working breakfast on Saturday morning signalled their willingness to forge ahead with peace talks. One of the participants, Israeli Deputy…

Swiss Politics

Swiss aid hinges on improved security in Iraq

This content was published on Jan 29, 2005 More crucial is whether the security situation improves after Sunday’s vote, says the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, (SDC). Should things take a turn for the positive, spokesman Jean-Philippe Jutzi said that more Swiss money could flow to Iraq. Last year a total of SFr2 million ($1.69 million) in Swiss aid reached Iraq; Bern…

Swiss Politics

Schmid opens WEF with call for solidarity

This content was published on Jan 26, 2005 Schmid invited the 2,250 participants in Davos to work together for the promotion of economic development, peace and justice. He urged the annual meeting in the alpine resort to be more open in future to “the voices of the underprivileged, the poor and the victims of cruelty”. Schmid’s speech was in keeping with the intention…

Swiss Politics

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