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Swiss call for clarity on Saudi journalist disappearance

The Swiss foreign ministry has expressed concern over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, asking the charge d’affaires at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Bern for clarification on the subject.

Published: 15 October 2018 15:07 CEST
Swiss call for clarity on Saudi journalist disappearance
OZAN KOSE / AFP

A statement from Antje Bärtschi, who is the spokeswoman for the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), said: “In a conversation with the Saudi Chargé d'affaires ad interim in Bern, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has expressed its concern and called for clarification on the journalist's fate. Switzerland is very worried about the events surrounding the Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance.”

This is the first official position that the Swiss have taken since the journalist went missing. 

When asked if Switzerland would impose economic sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Bärtschi said the government would decide on a “case by case basis.”

Bärtschi added that sanctions would only be “”legally binding under international law” if implemented by the United Nations. If this were to happen, however, Switzerland would be expected to do likewise.

A well-known Saudi journalist and former adviser to the Saudi royal family, Jamal Khashoggi, went into his country's consulate in Istanbul on 2nd October in order to obtain a marriage document.

According to reports, Turkish police will today search the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. They believe Khashoggi never left and was murdered inside the consulate.

Some sources in Turkey allege that he was killed by a team of 15 Saudi agents.

The Saudi government strongly denies this and maintains Khashoggi left shortly after arriving, describing suggestions he was murdered as “lies and baseless allegations”

In the face of growing diplomatic pressure to give a fuller explanation of the situation, Saudi Arabia's King Salman ordered an investigation on Monday 15th October.

A Saudi official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying: “The king has ordered the public prosecutor to open an internal investigation into the Khashoggi matter based on the information from the joint team in Istanbul.”

US President Donald Trump has promised to severely punish Saudi Arabia if it is found to have killed Khashoggi. However, he has ruled out blocking military sales even if the allegations prove to be true.

Saudi Arabia is a key partner for Switzerland and, according to SECO, the trade volume between the two amounted to CHF2.5 billion last year. 

POLITICS

Vital Swiss role as US-Iran go-between, as tensions soar

Washington and Tehran have not had diplomatic relations for decades, but before Iran's attack on Israel they had direct communications through "the Swiss channel".

Published: 15 April 2024 23:19 CEST
Vital Swiss role as US-Iran go-between, as tensions soar

Switzerland represents US interests in Iran, and at times of soaring tensions its role as go- between takes on heightened importance.

The Swiss foreign ministry refused Monday to divulge what actions the country had taken in connection with Iran’s weekend attack on Israel.

But US and Iranian officials alluded to the important role Switzerland was playing as an intermediary.

As Washington engaged in whirlwind efforts prior to the attack to prepare for the expected violence, it sent “a series of direct communications through the Swiss channel”, a senior administration official told AFP.

Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian armed forces’ chief of staff, was more explicit, telling state television that “we sent a message to America through the Swiss embassy that if it cooperates with Israel in their next potential actions, their bases will not be secure”.

 Maintaining relations 

Switzerland, renowned for its neutrality, has been representing US interests in Iran since Washington broke off relations with Tehran after the 1980 hostage crisis, a year after the Iranian revolution.

In its role as the so-called protecting power, Switzerland has for decades allowed the two feuding nations to maintain a minimum of diplomatic and consular relations.

The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles all consular affairs between the United States and Iran, including passport requests, altering civil status and consular protection for US citizens in Iran.

Under the protecting power mandate, Switzerland allows “states to maintain low-level relations and provide consular protection to nationals of the other state concerned”, the foreign ministry explains on its website.

“Switzerland can either offer to act as a go-between on its own initiative or can fulfil this function at the request of the parties concerned, provided that all those involved agree,” it added.

Switzerland has often had to play the go-between role.

The country has on several occasions in recent years mediated in prisoner exchanges between Iran and the United States.

Iran’s interests in the United States are meanwhile represented by Pakistan.

Switzerland also exercises a range of other protecting power mandates.

It represents Iran’s interests in Egypt and Canada.

And it represented Iran’s interests in Saudi Arabia for five years before the two countries resumed diplomatic relations last year.

Saudi has not yet formally terminated Switzerland’s protecting power mandate, so Bern still handles its consular services in Iran.

And until 2015, it represented US interests in Cuba and Cuban interests in the United States.

Switzerland first acted as a protecting power in the 19th century. It looked after the interests of the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Grand Duchy of Baden in France during the 1870-71 Franco- Prussian War.

During World War II, Switzerland’s neutral status paved the way for it to be the main protecting power, representing the interests of 35 states, including the major warring powers, with more than 200 individual mandates.

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