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Swiss Politics

Swiss ambassadors to focus on economic diplomacy

This content was published on Aug 25, 2000 The conference ended with an address by the Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, in his hometown of Kandersteg, in the Bernese Oberland. The trip was a welcome breath of fresh air for the ambassadors, who had spent a week discussing EU and UN membership, and the need for more economic ties with other countries. One of…

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New Israeli ambassador appointed

This content was published on Aug 24, 2000 Antebbi is currently serving as the ambassador to Poland. The embassy in Berne said the government had not yet confirmed him in his new post, which he is expected to take up in January 2001. A career diplomat, Antebbi is not linked to any political party. His predecessor, Mayer, belongs to the National Religious Party,…

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Ogi expresses condolences for Russian submarine tragedy

This content was published on Aug 23, 2000 The Swiss foreign ministry said that Ogi’s thoughts were with the families of the submariners who lost their lives in the Barents Sea. Ogi expressed his deepest personal sympathy for the bereaved in an official letter addressed to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The comments of the Swiss president coincided with Russia’s official day of…

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Ogi again condemns move to limit number of foreigners

This content was published on Aug 23, 2000 Ogi said the government’s efforts to defeat the proposal – which calls for the number of foreigners to be limited to 18 per cent of the population – would be one of the most important items on its agenda in the second half of this year. Speaking on Wednesday, following the first cabinet meeting after…

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Swiss Politics

Government reviews moves to defeat anti-foreigner initiative

This content was published on Aug 23, 2000 The defence minister, Adolf Ogi – who is the sole representative of the People’s Party in cabinet – said the government would analyse the current situation – one month before voters cast their ballots on the initiative to limit the number of foreigners in Switzerland to 18 per cent of the population. The government, big…

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Swiss Politics

Business leaders reject quotas on foreign workers

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 The warning was issued at a meeting on Tuesday marking the formal launch of a campaign against the initiative by the federation of commerce and industry. The president of the Federation, Andres Leuenberger, described the “18 per cent initiative” as a clear threat to the Swiss economy. “We are taking this vote very seriously,” he…

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Swiss split on military system

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 The annual survey on Swiss public attitudes to security issues, commissioned by the defence ministry, showed that while 80 percent of the population were still firmly in favour of neutrality they were split on the military model best designed to guarantee this. The poll also found that for the first time since the surveys began…

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Deiss hosts annual meeting of Swiss ambassadors

This content was published on Aug 21, 2000 In his opening speech, Deiss told the 118 ambassadors assembled in Berne of the need for Switzerland to play an active role on the international stage. “Switzerland can play many different roles in world affairs. Foreign policy is concerned with humanitarian aid, human rights and commerce,” Deiss said. He stressed the need for Switzerland’s foreign…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss Abroad congress calls for open mindedness and flexibility

This content was published on Aug 20, 2000 Speakers at the meeting in town of Zug praised the high quality of Switzerland’s education system, but underlined the need to introduce changes. Otherwise, they said, Switzerland risked losing its position in the world. Two panels of politicians and experts on Saturday warned that reforms were overdue to improve coordination among the country’s different school…

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Swiss Politics

Deiss campaigns for Swiss membership of the United Nations

This content was published on Aug 20, 2000 Deiss used his role as host of the Hornusserfest in Frauenfeld as a platform to persuade participants that Switzerland’s neutrality would not be compromised. Deiss compared the political issue with the traditional game. He argued that because Switzerland was not a full member of the international body, it could not play a full role on…

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