FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT:SWISS DELEGATION

UNCLAS BERN 000592

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO EEB/IFD/ODF FOR K.MONAHAN AND IO/EDA FOR
J.HARRIMAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAID UNGA SZ
SUBJECT: FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT:SWISS DELEGATION

REF: STATE 122053


1. (SBU) Econoff delivered reftel points on November 20 to
Marcus Eggenberger, Programme Manager, Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC),Department of Foreign
Affairs. Eggenberger reported that the Swiss position
remains the same as provided in the Swiss discussion paper
located online at the Financing for Development webpage.
Further elaboration on the Swiss policy was not provided.


2. (SBU) Post also inquired into the Swiss' stated policy
that the UN, in addition to expert fora such as the Financial
Stability Forum and G-20, should be a role player in handling
systematic issues and the financial crisis. Eggenberger
stated that the UN should be involved as a platform for all
countries that are currently not involved in the expert fora.
He noted that while expertise will be through the FSF or
G-20, and that clarification was still needed as to the exact
role of the UN in this regard, the UN nevertheless should be
utilized to integrate the opinion of all the unrepresented
countries.


3. (U) The Swiss delegation will be led by Foreign Minister
Micheline Calmy-Rey and accompanied by SDC Director General
Martin Dahinden, Eggenberger, and officials from the Swiss
Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and Federal
Department of Finance.


3. (U) Post action officer is Leslie Freriksen,
freriksenld@state.gov, 41 31 357 7418.
CONEWAY