Swiss Politics

Mass protests in Switzerland against war

This content was published on Mar 20, 2003 Around 40,000 students joined protests in cities such as Zurich, Bern and Geneva to demand the withdrawal of US and coalition troops from the region. The capital, Bern, saw the biggest protests with around 10,000 people taking part. Students lay on the ground for three minutes in front of the US embassy to symbolise the…

Swiss Politics

Water summit eclipsed by war

This content was published on Mar 20, 2003 But delegates meeting in Kyoto, Japan, warned of the consequences if the US targets Iraq’s energy and water installations. Hours after President Bush confirmed the start of a military campaign to oust the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, representatives from non-governmental organisations staged vocal anti-war protests outside the conference centre. The groups are in Kyoto to…

US launches war against Iraq

This content was published on Mar 20, 2003 “On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein’s ability to wage war,” Bush said. Bush said the military operations were the “opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign”. Saddam condemned the attack and vowed to defend Iraq. The declaration of war came…

Bush’s speech in full

This content was published on Mar 20, 2003 “My fellow citizens, at this hour American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger. “On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein’s ability to wage war. “These…

US to target Saddam

This content was published on Mar 20, 2003 But Albert Stahel believes civilian casualties will be an unavoidable consequence of a US push towards Baghdad in search of Saddam Hussein. In an interview with swissinfo before the war started, Stahel said the invasion would take the form of a major ground offensive, but not before the US military has completed a strategic and…

Edouard Brunner: “War was always an option for the US”

This content was published on Mar 18, 2003 He is currently on the board of Merrill Lynch and a series of foundations. swissinfo: Is there a valid reason for going to war? There are no good reasons for war. It’s more a question of feeling or perception. I believe the American administration always considered from the start that war was an option. September…

Swiss Politics

Alfred Defago: “The US sees war as the last resort”

This content was published on Mar 18, 2003 swissinfo: Is there a valid reason for going to war? I would like to caution against condemning the United States and Great Britain for going ahead because this is a very complicated situation. It shows very clearly that you have two different cultural views on both sides of the Atlantic. The overwhelming majority of Europeans…

Swiss Politics

Swiss pull out of Iraq

This content was published on Mar 18, 2003 Switzerland’s last remaining diplomats quit Baghdad on Tuesday to head for neighbouring Jordan. The two liaison officers drove off towards Amman early on Tuesday, accompanied by a Swiss radio journalist. The foreign ministry said that after the planned evacuations on Tuesday and Wednesday, around ten Swiss would probably remain in Iraq. These include two delegates…

Diplomacy driven by economic interests

This content was published on Mar 17, 2003 But analysts say Bern’s cautious diplomatic manoeuvres during the crisis will help it weather the economic storm – regardless of the outcome of the stand-off. Around half of Switzerland’s trade is carried out with member states of the European Union, with the United States its second-largest trading partner. Rudolf Ramsauer, the head of the Swiss…

Swiss Politics

Swiss help Sri Lanka keep the peace

This content was published on Mar 14, 2003 Bern has been stepping up its efforts to help the Sri Lankan government and the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels strike a peace deal after 19 years of civil war. Despite agreeing to a ceasefire agreement in February 2002, tensions in the region are still running high. Earlier this week the Sri Lankan navy sank a…

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Mass protests in Switzerland against war

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Water summit eclipsed by war

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US launches war against Iraq

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Bush’s speech in full

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US to target Saddam

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Edouard Brunner: “War was always an option for the US”

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Alfred Defago: “The US sees war as the last resort”

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Swiss pull out of Iraq

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Diplomacy driven by economic interests

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Swiss help Sri Lanka keep the peace

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