Federal Ministers Attack Initiative Imposing Quotas for Foreigners in SwitzerlandThe Swiss federal government has launched its offensive against a proposal to introduce quotas for foreigners, warning of the detrimental consequences of the initiative, which goes to a nationwide vote next month.Speaking at a news conference Friday, Economics Minister Pascal Couchepin and Justice Minister Ruth Metzler said that the proposal would solve none of Switzerland's problems, and would only serve to damage the economy and Switzerland's standing in the world. On September 24, Swiss voters will cast their ballots on the so-called "18 percent initiative," a plan to keep the number of foreigners in Switzerland to 18 percent of the population. Currently, foreigners make up 19.3 percent of the country's whole population of about 7.1 million. According to a Swiss Radio International report, Metzler said a yes vote to the initiative would be "detrimental to Switzerland and all its people." Couchepin described as "absurd" any attempt to place an "arbitrary" quota on the number of foreigners. The ministers concentrated their fire on the economic and diplomatic issues surrounding the initiative. Metzler said it would damage Switzerland's humanitarian tradition and set back efforts to improve relations between foreigners and native Swiss. Instead, the ministers used the occasion to put in a good word for the government's proposed new law governing policy towards foreigners. Launched in the wake of the campaign for the 18 percent initiative, the law would make it tougher for non-EU citizens to come to Switzerland. |
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