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Swiss Politics

Rwandan exiles protest against repatriations

This content was published on Feb 21, 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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Deiss holds talks with Cem

This content was published on Feb 20, 2000 Switzerland’s foreign minister, Joseph Deiss (pictured), is in Ankara holding talks with his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem. Deiss is in Turkey for a three-day visit. The trip is intended to improve relations between the two countries, which have been strained since a Kurdish demonstrator was shot and killed outside the Turkish embassy in Berne in…

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Swiss Politics

Social Democrats announce plans for change

This content was published on Feb 20, 2000 Switzerland’s Social Democrats want to reform the party’s ageing structure but there are no plans for a change of personnel at the top. At a closed conference on Saturday in Muri, canton Berne, the party’s president, Ursula Koch (pictured), played down internal conflicts and set down the main political themes for the next four years.…

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Swiss not against possible Schüssel visit

This content was published on Feb 20, 2000 Just over half of the Swiss do not see any problem in Austria’s chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel (pictured), visiting Switzerland. In a survey carried out by the opinion poll institute, Isopublic, for the French language Sunday newspaper, dimanche.ch, 50.2 per cent of people questioned said they had nothing against Schüssel coming to Switzerland. Only 18 per…

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Swiss Politics

The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Feb 19, 2000 This week saw the government launch its campaign in favour of the ratification of a series of bilateral accords with the European Union. The treaties will be put to a referendum to be held on May 21. The formal announcement came on Wednesday, when the government said it had checked 66,000 signatures collected by opponents…

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Switzerland says no invitation issued to Austrian government

This content was published on Feb 18, 2000 The Swiss authorities say they have not issued an invitation to members of the new Austrian government. The question was debated when the Swiss cabinet and the four main political parties met for one of their regular sessions of informal talks. But ministers reiterated that they were prepared to meet Austrian leaders, despite international criticism…

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Swiss Politics

Helmut Kohl suspends membership of Credit Suisse board

This content was published on Feb 17, 2000 The former German chancellor, Helmut Kohl, has temporarily stepped down from his post on the international advisory board of the Swiss Credit Suisse group. The move follows investigations into his role in illegal funding practices by his Christian Democratic Union in Germany. A spokeswoman for the Credit Suisse group said the indefinite suspension was at…

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Swiss Politics

Ogi argues case for approval of EU treaties

This content was published on Feb 16, 2000 The Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, has made a strong appeal to the people to ratify the bilateral accords with the European Union when they come to the vote in May. “We have to win this referendum”, he said at a news conference in Berne. Ogi effectively launched the public campaign over the seven accords after…

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Commission says asylum procedures “too slow”

This content was published on Feb 15, 2000 A key federal commission says the time taken to process requests for asylum must be cut down to six months. The proposal was one of a package of measures put forward by the Federal Refugee Commission at a news conference in Berne. The commission said that when the process drags on for too long it…

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Ogi calls for army to take more international role

This content was published on Feb 14, 2000 The Swiss president and defence minister, Adolf Ogi (pictured), has urged the Swiss army to abandon its purely defensive role by helping Switzerland open up to the world in the course of the next decade. “The army allowed Switzerland to cross the 20th century, a century of blood and war. Now the army must help…

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