Petra Gössi and Carlo Sommaruga.
Keystone-SDA
The Swiss government has received backing from parliament for the planned negotiations with the United States.
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Following the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, the Senate’s sister committee also approved the negotiating mandate on Tuesday.
The Senate committee approved the mandate on Tuesday after an in-depth discussion by ten votes to zero with two abstentions, the committee’s president, Carlo Sommaruga, told the media in Bern.
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There had been numerous questions about the draft mandate, he said. Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda had answered most of them satisfactorily.
Sommaruga and committee vice-president Petra Gössi did not reveal whether the committee is demanding adjustments to the draft mandate and what these are. Sommaruga said details would weaken Switzerland’s negotiating position.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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