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Swiss Politics

Chief of Staff criticises plan to reform secret services

This content was published on Feb 25, 2000 The armed forces chief of staff, Hans-Ulrich Scherrer, has criticised the recommendation by a government-appointed commission that the secret services should be professionalised and placed under civilian control. Scherrer told a news conference in Berne on Friday that the work they did was invaluable and was used as a base for Switzerland’s general view and…

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Government to press ahead with UN membership plans

This content was published on Feb 25, 2000 The Swiss government has indicated it will go ahead with plans to join the United Nations, even if a people’s initiative on the issue fails to collect the necessary 100,000 signatures. After a special cabinet session, the government said it had decided to launch a comprehensive consultation process within Switzerland in order to present draft…

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Party leaders meet to decide fate of Social Democrat president

This content was published on Feb 25, 2000 Leaders of the Social Democratic Party are meeting today to decide the future of their president, Ursula Koch (pictured), who is attempting to stay in office despite calls for her resignation. On Thursday, Koch dismissed criticism of her leadership and vowed to stay in office. However, she indicated she was awaiting the decision by party…

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Deiss begins Middle East tour

This content was published on Feb 24, 2000 The foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, has arrived in Egypt at the start of a nine-day tour of the Middle East, which will also take him to Syria and Lebanon. It’s the first official visit to these countries by a Swiss foreign minister since 1985. Deiss arrived in Cairo several hours later than scheduled, because of…

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Swiss Politics

President of Social Democrats holds crucial news conference

This content was published on Feb 24, 2000 The crisis within Switzerland’s largest political party, the Social Democrats, appears to be coming to a head. The party president, Ursula Koch, is holding a news conference today, amid mounting pressure on her to resign. Koch has called the news conference to give her version of a crisis which has been wreaking havoc with party…

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Parliamentary committee in Strasbourg wants swift ratification of bilaterals

This content was published on Feb 24, 2000 A key committee of the European Parliament in Strasbourg has called for swift ratification of the bilateral accords between Switzerland and the European Union. The committee said on Wednesday it wanted a debate and vote in parliament before a referendum in Switzerland on the accords on May 21. However, the committee for industry, trade, research…

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Swiss Politics

Switzerland to receive new Austrian government soon

This content was published on Feb 23, 2000 The Swiss government has confirmed that Austria’s chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, and the foreign minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will come to Switzerland on an official visit. The announcement follows weeks of uncertainty as to how to deal with Austria’s new coalition which includes the far-right Freedom Party. A government spokesman said no date had yet been set…

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Social Democrat president under pressure

This content was published on Feb 22, 2000 A crisis in Switzerland’s Social Democratic Party has deepened, with calls for the party president, Ursula Koch, to step down. Both the party vice-president, Pierre Aeby, and another member of the executive, Jacqueline Fehr, called for Koch’s resignation. In a separate development, Aeby confirmed he intends to step down as vice-president after his failure to…

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Rwandan exiles protest against repatriations

This content was published on Feb 22, 2000 Some 50 Rwandan demonstrators gathered in front of the federal parliament building in Berne on Monday to protest against the Swiss government’s repatriation policies. The federal office for refugees decided in February that asylum-seekers who had been given the right to stay in Switzerland on a provisional basis could now return home. The decision concerned…

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Social Democrats begin search for way out of crisis

This content was published on Feb 21, 2000 A crisis in Switzerland’s Social Democratic Party has erupted into the open, following a closed meeting of the party management at the weekend. The dispute is being presented as a clash of personalities, but analysts say the divisions go much deeper. At the weekend, the management issued an ultimatum to the party president, Ursula Koch,…

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