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Swiss Politics

Asylum applications sink to five-year low

This content was published on Jul 6, 2000 A total of 1,177 asylum seekers lodged applications in June, 358 fewer than the previous month. At the same time 7,156 people left Switzerland. Of those, 3,375 were Kosovars returning home as part of the government’s repatriation programme. The figures bring down the total number of asylum seekers in Switzerland to 20,205. Most applications came…

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Government announces plans to tighten immigration laws

This content was published on Jul 5, 2000 The justice ministry said that, under the new law, non-EU immigrants would be refused entry into Switzerland unless their skills were urgently needed. It said abuse of the current law by a small minority of foreigners made changes necessary. However, it said that restrictions on foreigners already resident in Switzerland should be eased by removing…

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Swiss Politics

Government rejects calls for abolition of army

This content was published on Jul 5, 2000 The government was responding to two initiatives put forward by the Group for Switzerland without an Army (GSoA). The first calls for the abolition of the armed forces, the other wants civil service – currently an alternative to military conscription – to be made voluntary. The GSoA put forward the initiatives last September after gathering…

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Berne and Vienna sign agreement to combat illegal immigration

This content was published on Jul 3, 2000 Under the agreement, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein accept responsibility for preventing illegal immigrants from escaping across their shared borders. In cases where illegal immigrants cross the border, each country has the right to demand that the transit country take the immigrants back before repatriating them to their country of origin. The deal was signed at…

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Swiss Politics

Refugee office to speed up Kosovar returns

This content was published on Jul 2, 2000 Large numbers of Kosovars fled their homes during the 1990s after the Serbian authorities cracked down on alleged separatism, with the numbers increasing rapidly in 1998 and 1999 after a large-scale campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Yugoslav province. A spokesman for the refugee office said the cantons had called on the authorities to increase…

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Swiss shooting clubs feel the pressure of army reform

This content was published on Jul 1, 2000 By far the biggest gathering of sportsmen and women in Switzerland, the National Shooting Festival, which only takes place every five years, is underway in canton Vaud. The organisers of this year’s shooting festival expect around 56,000 gun enthusiasts to head for the village of Bière to test their skills during the three weeks the…

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Ogi wrestles the right at People’s Party congress

This content was published on Jul 1, 2000 Right-wingers in the People’s Party are unhappy with various directions in Switzerland’s foreign policy, including moves to join the United Nations, and plans to arm Swiss soldiers serving abroad. The influential member of the party’s Zurich section, Christoph Blocher, is the president of Action for a Neutral and Independent Switzerland, which is strongly against moves,…

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Swiss Politics

This week in Switzerland

This content was published on Jul 1, 2000 The government’s latest bid to break Switzerland’s isolationist stance and lead the country into the United Nations was launched by the foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, on Thursday. He announced the start of a wide-ranging consultation procedure, during which political parties, organisations and the business community will be invited to give their opinion on one of…

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Swiss Politics

Geneva Social Summit: a step forward, or a setback?

This content was published on Jun 30, 2000 The United Nations said the special session of the General Assembly had made “significant advances” that would enable countries and international organisations to better implement the commitments made at the UN Social Summit in Copenhagen five years ago. The General Assembly session in Geneva was called to assess the progress made since 1995, and remove…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss observers broadly satisfied with Zimbabwean elections

This content was published on Jun 30, 2000 The group of nine was sent to Zimbabwe by Swiss Interchurch Aid and the Bethlehem Mission to join forces with around 300 foreign observers trying to ensure free and fair elections. In the months leading up to Zimbabwe’s poll more than 30 people were killed in election-related violence blamed mostly on supporters of the ruling…

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