Swiss Politics

New president eyes challenges ahead

This content was published on Jan 1, 2010 As she tells swissinfo.ch, good relations with foreign countries are essential if Switzerland is to solve its economic problems. swissinfo.ch: There is a lot of unfinished business and unresolved problems left behind from 2009. Are you looking forward to your presidential year or are you embarking on it with a certain amount of trepidation? Doris…

Swiss Politics

“Switzerland needs no EU defender”

This content was published on Dec 31, 2009 Fernando Riquelme, Spain’s ambassador to Bern, explains to swissinfo.ch Madrid’s outlook on sensitive Swiss topics like banking secrecy and the anti-minaret initiative. With its willingness to renegotiate double taxation treaties, Switzerland has shown a desire to adapt to the OECD rules on banking secrecy. For that reason, Riquelme says Switzerland needs no “defender” at the…

Swiss Politics

Civilian service victim of own popularity

This content was published on Dec 31, 2009 The head of the Civilian Service, Samuel Werenfels, told Swiss public radio on Thursday that 7,000 applications had been submitted in 2009, nearly three times more than were expected. Since April, conscientious objectors to military service are no longer screened, giving young Swiss men what amounts to a choice between becoming soldiers or doing work…

Swiss Politics

Swiss happy to see end of EU annus horribilis

This content was published on Dec 29, 2009 Workers in Brussels and the media – not to mention satirists – were all grateful to the Swiss government, UBS, banking secrecy, Roman Polanski and November’s referendum on minarets for giving them such juicy material to work with throughout the year. “No one in Brussels has ever talked about Switzerland so much!” said one European…

Swiss Politics

Swiss help put Palestinian produce on the table

This content was published on Dec 28, 2009 Around one-third of the West Bank is farmed, yet most meat, fresh fruit and vegetables are imported because the quantity of local produce is insufficient and many people do not trust the quality. A Swiss-sponsored project is for the first time bringing together producers and retailers to try to change the negative perceptions of Palestinian…

Swiss Politics

Detained Swiss in Libya hampered by legal fog

This content was published on Dec 28, 2009 Max Göldi and Rachid Hamdani are scheduled in early January to be tried for a second time in Libyan court, this time over business and tax violations. One thing is already evident: the Libyans have ignored their own laws handling the case. “The rules for a fair trial are very clear,” said Daniel Graf, a…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland joins protests against China

This content was published on Dec 26, 2009 Switzerland has joined a host of other countries in condemning the sentence which was handed down for Liu’s part in organising a petition demanding political freedoms. The Swiss foreign ministry said that it regretted that requests by diplomats to attend the hearing and the sentence were denied. Liu’s crime was to publish six articles on…

Swiss Politics

Swiss digest reputational damage

This content was published on Dec 26, 2009 Over the last 12 months Switzerland has been hit with a humiliating climbdown over tax evasion, banking giant UBS being dragged through the mud, an intensifying dispute with Libya and criticism over a vote to ban minarets. At one stage in the year, it seemed that Switzerland was besieged by hostile opinion from all over…

Swiss Politics

Libya blames Swiss for escalating row

This content was published on Dec 25, 2009 Among the most irksome items for the North African regime: photos leaked to the press of leader Moammar Gaddafi’s son, Hannibal, during his brief 2008 arrest in Geneva. Talk of military action to free two Swiss businessmen held in Libya for more than 500 days also made the list. As a senator in May 2009,…

Swiss Politics

Georgian-Russian border set to reopen

This content was published on Dec 24, 2009 Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said the two sides agreed on Wednesday that the Verkhny Lars transit point would open in March. Russia said “in theory” the crossing should open. The crossing has been shut for the past three years and is the only major border transit between Russia and Georgia that does not…

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New president eyes challenges ahead

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“Switzerland needs no EU defender”

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Civilian service victim of own popularity

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Swiss happy to see end of EU annus horribilis

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Swiss help put Palestinian produce on the table

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Detained Swiss in Libya hampered by legal fog

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Switzerland joins protests against China

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Swiss digest reputational damage

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Libya blames Swiss for escalating row

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Georgian-Russian border set to reopen

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