Swiss Politics Archives - Page 1204 of 1338

More

Swiss Politics

Bern builds new bridges with Washington

This content was published on Feb 13, 2003 The announcement follows the inaugural meeting between the “Friends of Switzerland Caucus” – made up of 16 US congressmen and women – and the Swiss-US parliamentary association. At the meeting in Washington on Wednesday, members of both groups spoke of the need to develop improved contacts and lines of communication. The Swiss hope that stronger…

More

Swiss Politics

Swiss to deploy 4,500 troops to secure G-8 summit

This content was published on Feb 13, 2003 The Swiss president, Pascal Couchepin, is to hold talks with President Bush on the first day of the meeting. Couchepin’s office confirmed the meeting with Bush a day after the government announced the mobilisation, which will be the largest ever in Switzerland for an operation of this kind. The summit is due to take place…

More

Swiss Politics

Swiss say “yes” to more voting rights

This content was published on Feb 9, 2003 A clear majority of voters – 70.3 per cent – said “yes” to the introduction of a General People’s Initiative, although turnout was low at just 28 per cent. The proposals were backed by the government and parliament and they convincingly won the so-called “double majority” necessary to be adopted – a majority among the…

More

Swiss Politics

US declines Swiss aid conference invite

This content was published on Feb 9, 2003 However, Calmy-Rey received a boost on Tuesday when two key humanitarian players confirmed that they would be attending the conference. The news that the United States will not be present at the meeting – slated to take place this weekend in Geneva – is a setback for Calmy-Rey. She is also facing the prospect of…

More

Swiss Politics

Key players wavering on Swiss aid conference

This content was published on Feb 7, 2003 Iraq was not invited and key participants, such as the United States, have suggested they may not attend. “How can they not invite Iraq, when the conference is about what the humanitarian consequences would be in Iraq after a military attack?” Samir Al-Nima, Iraq’s UN ambassador, told swissinfo. The Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, on…

More

Swiss Politics

How a “people’s initiative” differs from a “referendum”

This content was published on Feb 7, 2003 These votes are usually held four times year on a Sunday. Any Swiss citizen or organisation can put forward a proposal to amend the constitution. The proposal must be put to a nationwide vote if the citizen can collect at least 100,000 signatures in favour of the amendment within a period of 18 months. If…

More

Swiss Politics

The state of Iraq’s arsenal

This content was published on Feb 6, 2003 Staub told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that Iraq’s weapons could still be used for terrorist attacks but said they did not pose a wider threat. Staub, who was a UN weapons inspector in the early 1990s, said Baghdad could not be trusted and that the Iraqis had often supplied false information or had to be pressured…

Read more: The state of Iraq’s arsenal

More

Swiss Politics

US has two options for a ground war in Iraq

This content was published on Feb 6, 2003 The first would be a partial occupation of Iraq, followed by a “wait-and-see” strategy. The second involves a potentially more costly and risky operation aimed at taking Baghdad. Stahel, a political scientist and military strategist at Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology, told swissinfo that the United States was clearly ready to strike Iraq without a…

More

Swiss Politics

Powell fails to convince of need for war

This content was published on Feb 6, 2003 The Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Jenö Staehelin, said Powell had also failed to convince key Security Council members. Staehelin said Powell had succeeded in showing that Iraq had intentionally tried to get round its obligations under the UN resolution 1441, which demands that Baghdad disarm. “Iraq is now under pressure…

More

Swiss Politics

Calmy-Rey sails into troubled waters

This content was published on Feb 5, 2003 Just hours after she announced a pre-war conference on Iraq, her detractors say she is banging her own drum too loudly. The sharpest criticism came from the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, which said she had lost her way and was more interested in publicity than in concrete results. The People’s Party accused her of acting…

Swiss Politics

Popular Stories

Most Discussed