4u2 - For you too - Roland Brunner

Fall 2000

QUARTERLY REPORT ON  CIVIL PEACE SERVICE ACTIVITIES IN SWITZERLAND

As my predecessor Renate Schoch has no doubt informed you, in September 1999 the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSoA/GSsA) handed over to the federal government a Popular Initiative to create a voluntary Civil Peace Service. The Swiss Federal Council gave its answer in July 2000. This contained a series of misunderstandings and drew the regrettable conclusion that although the demands of the Initiative were worthy of support, basically they had already been met. The GSoA took the opportunity to make a statement concerning the Federal Council’s position and to correct the gravest of the misunderstandings. In the Spring of 2001 the Initiative comes before Parliament, where it will be decided whether Parliament recommends a “yes” or “no” vote when the Initiative is brought before the Swiss people. Our chances in Parliament are rather slim, making it all the more important to form as broad a coalition as possible of supporting organisations before it comes to a vote. The prospects are good: almost every week peace organisations large and small join forces with the coalition of supporting groups. To support and further develop the Initiative, an interest group has been formed to coordinate the lobbying in favour of the Initiative. The public vote will take place at the earliest in September 2001.

When the time is appropriate, we will undoubtedly ask for moral and personal support from our German-speaking neighbour countries. (A possible type of support could be a meeting between the supporting organisations and persons from the CPS Forum of Germany or a meeting between parliamentarians). We will have the opportunity to discuss the various approaches at the annual meeting of the EN CPS which takes place next year in Switzerland in the beginning of May. Invitations to this will be sent to you later.

For the Group for a Switzerland without an Army

Stefan Luzi, Secretary

4your questions and contacts: rbr(at)4u2.ch