Following criticism by the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder [click here to read letter], Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has again defended her country’s gas deal with Iran. At an event in Zurich, she said that sometimes it was good that Switzerland was not part of international alliances, adding that her country had good relations with Iran. “It is good not to be a member of the European Union – sometimes at least,” Calmy-Rey was quoted as saying . She added that the gas deal had been in Switzerland’s economic interests, in order to reduce dependency on Russian natural gas.
The Socialist politician also rejected that notion that the credibility of Swiss diplomacy had been bruised. “WJC president Lauder doesn’t know what he is saying,” said Calmy-Rey. The headscarf, which she had worn during her meeting with Iran’s president Ahmadinejad, was a legal requirement in Iran. It had been courageous of her to tell Ahmadinejad that it was unacceptable not to recognize Israel or to chop off the hands of convicted people. “To say that [to the Iranians] was more important than to stay at home,” Calmy-Rey said, adding that Switzerland could only defend its interests by being present on the ground.
Read about the WJC's campaign to Stop the Iranian Threat