Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BERN828
2006-04-27 11:06:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Bern
Cable title:  

SWISS ECONOMICS/TRADE MINISTER JOSEPH DEISS TO

Tags:  ETRD WTRO PGOV SZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6518
PP RUEHRG
DE RUEHSW #0828 1171106
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271106Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BERN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2128
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0088
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 7411
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0558
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0366
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0640
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0652
RUEHRG/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0126
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2512
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY 0160
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS BERN 000828 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE PASS TO USTR FOR DONNELLY AND BUNTIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD WTRO PGOV SZ
SUBJECT: SWISS ECONOMICS/TRADE MINISTER JOSEPH DEISS TO
RESIGN EFFECTIVE JULY 31


UNCLAS BERN 000828

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE PASS TO USTR FOR DONNELLY AND BUNTIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD WTRO PGOV SZ
SUBJECT: SWISS ECONOMICS/TRADE MINISTER JOSEPH DEISS TO
RESIGN EFFECTIVE JULY 31



1. (SBU) Summary: In a surprise announcement, Swiss Economics
and Trade Minister Joseph Deiss announced on April 27 that,
effective July 31, he would resign his position as Economics
and Trade Minister and step down from the seven-member
Federal Council, where he is the Christian Democratic Party's
only representative. The announcement surprised members of
the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO),as well as
the Embassy, as Deiss had provided no hints this move was
coming during Ambassador Willeford's farewell call on April

25. SECO sources told ECONOFF that Deiss is likely resigning
for health reasons, and that his successor will probably be
Christian Democratic Party chief Doris Leuthard. End summary.


2. (SBU) After a four-year tenure as Economics and Trade
Minister, Federal Councilor Joseph Deiss announced on April
27 that he will resign his position and seat in parliament
effective July 31, 2006. The news of Deiss' resignation was
a surprise to Embassy contacts in SECO and to the Mission.
Ambassador Willeford had just met Federal Councilor Deiss on
Tuesday, April 25 for a farewell call and he provided no
hints that he would be stepping down. Deiss even commented
to the Ambassador that the loss of important leaders like
USTR Portman during this key phase of WTO negotiations would
be hard to overcome. (NB: Switzerland and Minister Deiss are
the spokesnation/person for the Group of 10 in the WTO Doha
talks.)


3. (SBU) During a conversation with SECO America's Director,
Philippe Nell, who initially did not know about the
resignation when ECONOFF called for more information, said
that SECO staff believe Deiss is resigning for health
reasons. SECO staff, particularly the WTO staff, do not
believe Deiss would abandon the WTO Doha talks unless there
were a compelling reason; "he is not leaving for political
reasons," Nell said. He added that Swiss Embassy staff in
Washington (Economic Minister Councilor Giulio Haas) thought
Deiss looked "tired and hollow" during his recent trip to the
U.S. for the World Bank-IMF meetings. Deiss, however, looked
rather spry during the Ambassador's April 25 meeting,
although this could be because he had made his decision to
resign and was feeling less burdened by the difficult choice
he was having to make.


4. (SBU) Nell also told ECONOFF that rumors within SECO have
Christian Democratic Party President (since September 2004)
Doris Leuthard succeeding Deiss at SECO and on the Federal
Council. Leuthard has been a member of the Nationalrat
(Lower House of Parliament) since 1999 and is a member of the
Nationalrat's Committee on Economy and Taxes. Nell, a French
speaker, said that he had heard that several members of
parliament were looking to have a German speaker head the
Economics and Trade Ministry after almost eight years of
French speaking Ministers (Pascal Couchepin and Joseph
Deiss). NOTE: Swiss bureaucrats have admitted that the
native tongue of the minister plays an important role in
staffing decisions. Key positions are sometimes filled with
native speakers because of the difficulty to writing
effective memos in a second or third language. END NOTE.


5. (SBU) COMMENT: Deiss has been a reasonably cooperative
interlocutor in his portfolios, first as Foreign Minister
(1999-2002) and then as Economic/Trade Minister
(2003-present). By no means a compelling leader, Deiss has
played it mostly safe in his policies. His most daring move,
in retrospect, was trying to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement
with the United States -- efforts for which he was shot down
by his Federal Council colleagues earlier this year.
Uncertain is the extent to which this embarrassment led to
his decision to resign early.
Willeford