Swiss Politics

Government to push ahead with talks on Schengen

This content was published on Apr 11, 2001 In a statement on Wednesday, the justice ministry welcomed the results of preliminary talks with the EU and the “positive signals recently received from Brussels”. It said that full participation in the Schengen and Dublin agreements was in the best interests of Switzerland and its internal security. The Schengen agreement, which has been signed by…

Swiss Politics

Deiss meets Powell in Washington

This content was published on Apr 9, 2001 The meeting between Deiss and Powell is the first between a member of the Swiss government and the Bush administration. The Kyoto agreement, on controlling the emissions of greenhouse gases, which cause global warming, dominated the talks between the two men. The Swiss foreign minister said on his departure from the State Department, in Washington,…

Swiss Politics

Swiss urge Bush to honour Kyoto Protocol

This content was published on Apr 9, 2001 The Swiss government is using Deiss’s visit – its first official contact with the new US administration – to convey Switzerland’s concerns about President Bush’s recent decision to abandon the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. In the letter to Bush, the Swiss president, Moritz Leuenberger, urges the president to “reconsider your position and… continue cooperation…

Swiss Politics

Deiss in Washington for talks with Bush administration

This content was published on Apr 9, 2001 The meeting is the first official contact between the Swiss government and the Bush administration. Deiss is expected to reiterate the Swiss government’s offer to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians to help them achieve a peace settlement. There has also been speculation that Deiss might raise the issue of the Kyoto Protocol on climate…

Swiss Politics

Swiss step up efforts against high-fatality arms

This content was published on Apr 6, 2001 The Swiss ambassador for disarmament, Christian Faessler, and Colonel Erwin Dahinden from the Swiss General Staff, spoke of the proposals at a preparatory meeting, ahead of the Geneva conference on conventional arms, in December. Colonel Dahinden said Switzerland would not ban cluster bombs because of their effectiveness in combatting enemy tanks, with the minimum of…

Swiss Politics

Kosovo minorities given leave to stay longer in Switzerland

This content was published on Apr 2, 2001 The Federal Refugee Office said on Monday that around 2,500 asylum seekers would likely be given leave to stay in Switzerland until at least the end of autumn. It said the move was prompted by fears that their safety would be threatened if they returned home. The decision affects mainly Serb and gypsy asylum seekers,…

Swiss Politics

Economic development key to human rights, Swiss president says

This content was published on Mar 30, 2001 “A world of glaring inequalities and growing poverty cannot be a world at peace,” Leuenberger said. “The right to development is an integral part of human rights.” “Rich countries bear a special responsibility in the face of this immense poverty,” he said, adding that protectionism, unequal trade, low levels of investment and cooperation did not…

Swiss Politics

Swiss to speed up processing of asylum seekers

This content was published on Mar 29, 2001 Spokesman, Dominique Boillat, said the new procedure would include a more thorough interviewing process at points of entry, as well as improved methods of verifying the legitimacy of an asylum seeker. “More and more people are coming to Switzerland without a true asylum motive but because they are seeking work,” Boillat told swissinfo. Under the…

Swiss Politics

Annan holds out hand to Switzerland ahead of UN vote

This content was published on Mar 29, 2001 Annan told a news conference he would say nothing while in Switzerland which could influence the vote, but added that “if the Swiss people vote ‘yes’ they would be welcomed with open arms into the United Nations”. He praised Switzerland’s role in UN agencies and as a host for UN institutions, as well as the…

Swiss Politics

Venezuela protests at Swiss arms embargo

This content was published on Mar 29, 2001 Speaking in Bern on Thursday, the Venezuelan commercial attaché, Magda Ruizpineda, said the Swiss ban was unjustified, and there were no grounds for believing that the weapons would wind up in the hands of Colombian guerrillas. Her comments come after the government announced that it had refused permission to a Swiss firm, which wanted to…

Swiss Politics

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