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Swiss Politics

Brussels says yes to aluminium merger, with strings attached

This content was published on Mar 14, 2000 The European Commission has given the go-ahead to a planned merger between the Swiss aluminium company, Algroup, and the Canadian firm, Alcan. However, it has laid down conditions. The Commission said it approved the proposal on condition the companies sold off certain sectors so that they did not dominate those particular markets. Brussels was looking…

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Swiss left threatens cross-party boycott over right’s comments

This content was published on Mar 14, 2000 The Social Democrat parliamentary group has unanimously voted to boycott all cross-party discussions with the government, until the People’s Party distances itself from comments made by one of its leading figures, Christoph Blocher. All 34 Social Democrats in parliament voted to give the right-wing party until Friday to decide on its position. The People’s Party…

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Switzerland moves closer to arming its peacekeepers

This content was published on Mar 14, 2000 Switzerland’s House of Representatives has approved a proposal to allow Swiss soldiers to carry weapons on peacekeeping missions abroad. The reform is part of a wider overhaul of the country’s military laws. The House of Representatives voted for the proposal by 84 votes to 49, with 30 abstentions. The ruling paves the way for the…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss town rejects pleas for citizenship

This content was published on Mar 13, 2000 Voters in a town in canton Lucerne have refused to grant citizenship to 48 foreign residents living in their community. They turned down pleas for naturalisation from citizens of Turkey and former Communist countries in Europe, but granted Swiss nationality to eight Italians. For 56 residents of Emmen, Sunday was a very important day. Their…

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Swiss Politics

People’s Party refuses to apologise to Social Democrats

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 The right-wing Swiss People’s Party has refused to apologise to the Social Democrats for controversial remarks made by the populist Christoph Blocher. In a widely distributed leaflet, Blocher accused the Social Democrats of being much closer to facism on a political level than his own party. In response, the Social Democrats demanded an apology. They…

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Swiss Politics

Women’s quotas robustly rejected

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 Plans for women’s quotas in the Swiss parliament and federal authorities have been robustly rejected in today’s national vote. A majority of the 26 cantons have said no to the plan, which has attracted little support from the Swiss people. The people’s initiative was expected to fail, having neither backing from the government, nor support…

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Swiss Politics

Aletsch unlikely to become heritage site

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 Attempts to include the Jungfrau-Aletsch glacier region in the Swiss Alps on Unesco’s list of World Heritage sites have received a setback. Voters in the commune of Ried-Mörel have opted out of the project. By a two to one majority, voters in Ried-Mörel turned down a proposal by the Federal Environment Agency to include the…

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Swisscoy decorated for efforts in Kosovo

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 The Swiss peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo, Swisscoy, has been awarded a medal in recognition of its efforts in the province. Swisscoy forms part of the multinational peacekeeping force, Kfor. Its members include military engineers, carpenters and mechanics. During their tour of duty, Swisscoy soldiers have taken part in a number of important projects, including the…

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Swiss Politics

Direct democracy takes centre stage

This content was published on Mar 11, 2000 The Swiss people have been balloted in five separate national votes today. At stake have been proposals on justice reform, fertility treatment, traffic reduction, streamlining democracy, and improving female representation. The referendum on justice reform is the only one of the five votes to have been put forward by the government. Preliminary forecasts also suggest…

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Swiss Politics

Israel warms to offer of peace summit in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 11, 2000 Israel’s foreign minister, David Levy, has welcomed Switzerland’s offer to host a trilateral summit to take forward the Middle East peace process. After talks with his Swiss counterpart, Joseph Deiss, he said Switzerland was well suited to such a role. Relations between Switzerland and Israel seem to be on the mend, following a meeting in…

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