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Swiss Politics

Switzerland intervenes in Turkey over prison conditions

This content was published on Dec 21, 2000 A senior Swiss diplomat intervened at the foreign ministry in Ankara on Thursday. He asked the authorities to clarify their position, particularly on Kurdish inmates. Officials in Bern said the diplomat was given a response by the Turkish authorities, but no further details were revealed. The diplomatic intervention follows a series of protests in Switzerland…

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Swiss army to undergo major reforms

This content was published on Dec 21, 2000 The outgoing defence minister, Adolf Ogi, who had championed the reforms, described the measures as a “revolution”. Under the new plan, announced on Wednesday, the current number of 360,000 active duty soldiers will be reduced to 119,000. At the same time, the number of reservists is to be cut down from 200,000 to 80,000. In…

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Switzerland grants further aid to victims of violence in Palestinian territories

This content was published on Dec 19, 2000 The foreign ministry’s development aid agency said the money would go towards a United Nations organisation supporting education, health and welfare programmes. In October, Switzerland released emergency aid worth SFr150,000 for the victims of the latest wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The funds were used to buy medicines and other medical supplies. The…

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Ogi boosts bid for Euro 2008

This content was published on Dec 18, 2000 The money has been handed over as part of a new initiative to improve or replace the country’s ageing football grounds. The Football Association and the government are also hoping that the new facilities will help persuade their Austrian counterparts to join Switzerland in a joint bid for the European Championships in 2008. Work is…

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Swiss churches mourn victims of Middle East violence

This content was published on Dec 17, 2000 The national ceremony was arranged by the human rights organisation Amnesty International together with Switzerland’s Catholic and Protestant parishes. The organisers said they wanted in particular to celebrate the memory of those Palestinian children and teenagers killed, who they said were victims of disproportionate Israeli army force. Over 300 people have died in the region…

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The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Dec 16, 2000 The capital, Bern, hosted two prominent guests. The first was Gorbachev, now head of the environmental organisation, the Green Cross, who gave a speech to parliament. In a powerful speech on disarmament, he warned of a potential human and environmental catastrophe as global powers dismantle their weapons of mass destruction. The Italian president, Carlo Azeglio…

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Parliament approves funding of peace centre

This content was published on Dec 14, 2000 The House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously followed the Senate in approving the financial package. The foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, said the centre had played an important role in trying to promote the acceptance of humanitarian principles in conflicts in Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia. Deiss said there was no overlap with…

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Bush wins US presidency after Gore concedes defeat

This content was published on Dec 14, 2000 Gore finally conceded late on Wednesday, a day after the US Supreme Court narrowly voted against a recount of votes cast in Florida – the state which held the balance of power after the inconclusive November 7 election. In his first speech, president-elect Bush called for national reconciliation. He urged Americans to “unite in a…

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European summit outcome dominates Ciampi’s Swiss visit

This content was published on Dec 13, 2000 Ciampi told the Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, and other members of the government on Wednesday that the Nice summit, which concentrated on internal voting and expansion issues, had not yielded all the results hoped for. But he said it was still a cause for satisfaction. Ciampi told his Swiss colleagues that the prospect of a…

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New film aims to reveal reality behind search for asylum

This content was published on Dec 13, 2000 The film, entitled “Us and them – asylum in Switzerland” explores the fate of three asylum seekers, and describes the process they must go through to win asylum in Switzerland. The 45-minute film aims to inform the Swiss about asylum policy and to foster greater understanding of the plight of asylum seekers. The makers say…

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