Swiss support push for democracy in Iraq

The UN, US and EU were the driving forces behind the conference Keystone

Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has welcomed the international community's broad support for Iraq at a one-day conference in Brussels.

Following the conference, Calmy-Rey said Switzerland was willing to assist the Iraqi government with the task of writing a new constitution.

Calmy-Rey represented Switzerland at the Brussels conference, which was attended by high-ranking officials from 80 countries and international organisations.

Co-hosted by the European Union and the United States, the conference was called to provide a forum for Iraq’s new transitional government.

A final statement from the conference urged Baghdad “to intensify efforts to engage all parties renouncing violence in the political process”.

The Iraqi delegation, headed by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, pledged that the constitution, due by August 15, would try to embrace all Iraqis.

Calmy-Rey said Switzerland would provide Iraq with technical assistance with writing the new constitution if it were asked to do so.

Direct democracy

“We think we could contribute if Iraq wants to benefit from our experience with direct democracy and federalism,” Calmy-Rey’s diplomatic advisor, Roberto Balzaretti, told swissinfo.

Balzaretti said Switzerland would continue to focus on humanitarian aid. Bern has pledged SFr2 million ($1.57 million) in funds this year.

The final statement from the conference urged all nations to boost diplomatic ties with Iraq.

Switzerland currently operates a small liaison office in Baghdad and Balzaretti said Bern had no immediate plans to boost its presence in the Iraqi capital.

“For our day-to-day work, our office already functions like an embassy,” he said.

swissinfo with agencies

In brief

Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey represented Switzerland at the conference in Brussels on the future of Iraq.

She will next travel to Ukraine for the regional conference of Swiss ambassadors on June 23-24.

Calmy-Rey is due to meet her Ukrainian counterpart Boris Tarasyuk.

Key facts

For security reasons, Switzerland does not currently have a development-cooperation office in Iraq.
Switzerland supports international aid programmes on a multilateral level.
In 2004 Switzerland committed SFr1.7 million ($1.35 million). This year the figure is SFr2 million.
Of that, SFr500,000 is reserved for the UN Refugee Agency.