Armin RITZ, until recently head of mission in Madrid, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in Antigua and Barbuda, in the Commonwealth of Dominica, in St. Kitts and Nevis, in St. Lucia, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in the Republic of Suriname, in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, with residence in Caracas. Ambassador Ritz, who will take up his new post in mid-September 2007, succeeds Ambassador Walter SUTER, who will retire.

Jean-Philippe TISSIERES, until recently head of mission in Kuwait City, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra, with residence in Madrid. Ambassador Tissières, who will take up his new post at the beginning of September 2007, succeeds Ambassador Armin RITZ.

Michel GOTTRET, currently head of mission in Algiers, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the State of Kuwait, in the Kingdom of Bahrain and in the State of Qatar, with residence in Kuwait City. Ambassador Gottret, who will take up his new post at the beginning of October 2007, succeeds Ambassador Jean-Philippe TISSIERES.

Jean-Claude RICHARD, currently head of mission in Bucharest, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Democratic and People’s Republic of Algeria. Ambassador Richard, who will take up his new post in mid-October 2007, succeeds Ambassador Michel GOTTRET.

Livio HÜRZELER, currently head of mission in Dakar, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in Romania. Ambassador Hürzeler, who will take up his new post at the end of September 2007, succeeds Ambassador Jean-Claude RICHARD.

Jean-François PAROZ, currently deputy-head of Political Affairs Division III of the FDFA and head of the Section for Coordination with the United Nations (with title of Minister) in Bern, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Republic of Senegal, in the Republic of Mali and in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, with residence in Dakar. Mr Paroz, who will take up his new post at the end of October 2007, succeeds Ambassador Livio HÜRZELER.

Philippe GUEX, currently deputy-head of mission with the title of Minister, at the Swiss Permanent Mission to the European Union in Brussels, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Mr Guex, who will take up his new post at the beginning of December 2007, succeeds Ambassador Ingrid APELBAUM PIDOUX, who will retire.

Erich PIRCHER, currently head of mission in Tirana, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Republic of Croatia. Ambassador Pircher, who will take up his new post at the end of October 2007, succeeds Ambassador Marcus KAISER, who will retire. -
Yvana ENZLER, until recently head of mission of the Swiss Liaison Office to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Republic of Albania. Ms Enzler, who will take up her new post at the end of October 2007, succeeds Ambassador Erich PIRCHER.

Lukas BEGLINGER, currently deputy-head of mission, with title of Minister , at the Swiss Embassy in Moscow, to the post of head of mission of the Swiss Liaison Office to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), with residence in Pristina in the Republic of Serbia. Mr Beglinger, who will take up his new post in mid-September 2007, succeeds Ms Yvana ENZLER.

Andrej MOTYL, currently deputy-head of mission in Tel-Aviv, to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Republic of Sudan, with residence in Khartoum. Mr Motyl will take up his new post at the beginning of September 2007.

Denis FELDMEYER, temporarily based in Bern, to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Kingdom of Norway and the Republic of Iceland, with residence in Oslo. Mr Feldmeyer, who will take up his new post at the beginning of October 2007, succeeds Ambassador Kurt HÖCHNER.

Carla DEL PONTE, who is currently Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia in The Hague, as extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of Switzerland to the Republic of Argentina. Mrs del Ponte will take up her post in January 2008. She succeeds the incumbent ambassador Daniel von Muralt, who will shortly be appointed to a new post. This appointment will be communicated in due course.

The Federal Council has also decided:

- to entrust the management of the Embassy in La Paz to a resident Ambassador, and has appointed Mr
Marco ROSSI, currently head of the Cooperation Office in La Paz, to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Republic of Bolivia. Mr Rossi will take up his new post in September 2007.

- to open an Embassy in Yaoundé and to upgrade the existing General- Consulate, which until now has been accredited to the Ambassador in Abidjan. At the same time, it has appointed Mr
Etienne THEVOZ, currently deputy-head of Political Affairs Division II, Africa and the Middle East, of the FDFA in Bern (with the title of Minister) to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Republic of Cameroon with residence in Yaoundé. Mr Thévoz will take up his new post at the beginning of October 2007.

- to open an Embassy in Port-au-Prince, and to upgrade the existing general-consulate (until now accredited to the Ambassador in Havana) and, at the same time, has appointed Mr
Urs BERNER, currently deputy-head of mission in Kinshasa to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland in the Republic of Haiti. Mr Berner will take up his new post at the end of October or beginning of November 2007.

- to confer the title of Ambassador on Mr
Kurt HÖCHNER. Ambassador Höchner has been appointed by the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs to the post of head of the FDFA Inspectorate, which is integrated within the General-Secretariat.

Armin RITZ was born in Blitzingen, Canton of Valais in 1945. He studied law in Geneva, as well as economics and political science in Rome. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1976, completing his first assignments in Bern and at the Permanent Observer Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York. In 1978, he returned to the FDFA head office in Bern as a diplomatic officer. In 1982, he was transferred to the Swiss Permanent Mission to the European Communities in Brussels, where he was promoted to Counsellor in 1986. The same year, he was transferred to Rome and was placed in charge of the economic affairs file in the same function. In 1991, he returned to head office as Head of the Service for Disarmament Policy and Nuclear Issues of Political Affairs Division III within the FDFA. In 1995, the Federal Council appointed him to the post of head of Political Affairs Division III with the rank of Ambassador. From 1998, he was Ambassador and deputy-head of the Directorate of Political Affairs of the FDFA. From 2000-2004, he was Ambassador in Argentina, and from 2004 also accredited in Paraguay and Uruguay. Since 2004, he has been Swiss Ambassador in the Kingdom of Spain and in the Principality of Andorra with residence in Madrid.

Jean-Philippe TISSIERES was born in 1951 in Lausanne, Canton of Vaud. He completed study programmes at the universities of Geneva, Fribourg and Paris, and graduated with a licence in law and in economics, as well as a D.E.A. in political science. He is Alumnus of the "Public Relations for Corporate Managers" programme of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne. In 1982, following five years’ activity in the private sector abroad, he joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and did internships in the Integration Office in Bern and as deputy-head of the Economics and Trade Division of the Embassy in Bonn. In 1984, he was transferred for a few months to Islamabad as Secretary of the Embassy in charge of Economics and Political Affairs. In autumn of the same year, he was given responsibility for the Economics, Science and Social Affairs files at the Embassy in Paris. He returned to Bern in 1987, where he was appointed diplomatic desk officer in the Finance and Economics Service. Some months later, he was appointed diplomatic secretary to the State Secretary. In 1988, he was transferred to Riyadh as deputy-head of mission. He worked for a second period in the private sector from 1990 until 1995 but rejoined the diplomatic service in mid-1995 and was appointed deputy-head of the FDFA Information Service. In 1997, he was transferred to the Embassy in Madrid as deputy-head of mission with rank of Minister. From 2000, he was Minister and deputy-head of Political Affairs Division II, Asia-Pacific, within the FDFA Directorate of Political Affairs in Bern. In October 2002, the Federal Council appointed him to the post of Ambassador in the States of Kuwait and Qatar, as well as in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with residence in Kuwait.

Michel GOTTRET was born in Chêne-Bougeries, Canton of Geneva, in 1949. He completed his studies in physics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1979, he joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and did internships in Bern, Paris and Copenhagen. He returned to the FDFA head office in 1981 where he was assigned to the then Political Secretariat as a diplomatic desk officer. In 1987, he was transferred to Washington, where he was appointed First Secretary of the Embassy. In 1991, he returned to Bern as head of the Section for International Scientific Affairs. From 1998 to 2002, he was Minister and deputy-head of mission (Embassy) in Paris. In November 2002, the Federal Council appointed him Ambassador of Switzerland in the Democratic and People’s Republic of Algeria and in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, with residence in Algiers.

Jean-Claude RICHARD was born in 1946 in La Brévine, Canton of Neuchatel. He graduated from the University of Neuchatel with a licence in both political science and economics. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1974 and did internships in Bern and London. He returned to the FDFA head office in 1976, where he was assigned to the Finance and Economics Service as a diplomatic desk officer. In 1979, he was transferred to the Embassy in Belgrade as Secretary of the Embassy and, in 1983, to Copenhagen, as deputy-head of mission, where he was appointed Counsellor in 1986. In the same year, he returned to the FDFA head office, where he was initially appointed deputy-head and subsequently head of the Service for the Council of Europe within the Directorate of Political Affairs. From 1991, he was Counsellor and deputy-head of mission in Mexico. From April 1995, he was temporarily deputy-head of Political Affairs Division II within the FDFA Directorate of Political Affairs. In October 1995, he was appointed by the Federal Council to the post of Ambassador of Switzerland in Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, with residence in Dakar. From 2000, he was Ambassador in Cuba and from 2004 he was also accredited in Haiti and in Jamaica. Since November 2004, he has been Swiss Ambassador in Romania.

Livio HÜRZELER was born in 1948 in Epinassey (St-Maurice), Canton of Valais. He graduated from the University of Lausanne with a licence in political science. In 1980, he joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and did internships in Bern and London. He returned to the FDFA head office in 1982, where he was assigned to the Section for the United Nations and other International Organisations of the Directorate of International Organisations as a diplomatic desk officer. In 1986, he was transferred to Guatemala as Second Secretary of the Embassy and deputy-head of mission. In 1988, he was transferred to London as Second Secretary of the Embassy where he was appointed First Secretary of the Embassy in 1989 and, in 1993, to Counsellor. In 1994, he returned to the FDFA head office where he was assigned to the Service for the Council of Europe within the Directorate of Political Affairs as a diplomatic officer with rank of Counsellor and, from 1996, as diplomatic head of section. From the beginning of September 1997 until end of November 1998, he took unpaid leave. At the beginning of December 1998, he returned to the FDFA and was transferred to Ankara as deputy-head of mission with the title of Minister. In 2003, the Federal Council appointed him Ambassador in the Republics of Senegal, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali, with residence in Dakar.

Jean-François PAROZ was born in 1960 in Moutier, Canton of Bern. He holds a licence in history from the University of Lausanne and a diploma from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1988 where he worked in the Directorate of International Organisations. From 1991 to 1992, he did diplomatic internships in Bern, Lagos and Bonn. Following his return to the FDFA head office in Bern in 1993, he worked as a diplomatic desk officer within Political Affairs Division II of the Directorate of Political Affairs. In 1997, he was transferred to the Swiss Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York as Counsellor and, in 2000, became advisor to the Secretary-General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) in Paris. In 2002, he returned to Bern where he headed, within United Nations Coordination of Political Affairs Division III, the Section for Security Council, Policy and Communications. In 2003, he was appointed deputy-head of Political Affairs Division III and head of United Nations Coordination with the title of Minister.

Philippe GUEX was born in 1959 in Fribourg. He studied in Fribourg and graduated with a doctorate in economics and social sciences. He also studied political science at the Free University of Berlin. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1989 and did internships in Bern and London. On his return to the FDFA head office in Bern in 1991, he worked as a diplomatic desk officer in the Finance and Economics Service. In 1996, he was transferred to the Embassy in Paris as Counsellor for economic and financial questions. Following his return to Bern in 1998, he was appointed head of section within the Integration Office (FDFA/FDEA). Since 2002, he has been deputy-head of mission with the title of Minister at the Swiss Permanent Mission to the European Communities in Brussels.

Erich
PIRCHER was born in 1947 in Zurich. He studied at the universities of Zurich and Geneva, graduating with a doctorate in law. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1979 and did internships in Bern and Rome. After returning to the FDFA head office in 1981, he worked as a diplomatic desk officer with responsibility for legal matters in the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance. From 1983 until 1985, he was a diplomatic desk officer in the Directorate of International Law. During this period, he was sent on a temporary assignment to the Mission in New York as Second Secretary. At the end of 1985, he was transferred to Moscow with the same function, and was appointed First Secretary of the Embassy in 1987. In the same year, he returned to Bern temporarily and was subsequently transferred to the General-Consulate in New York as deputy-head of mission, where he was appointed Deputy Consul-General in 1991. In the same year, he was transferred to Helsinki as Counsellor and deputy-head of mission, and with the same function to Mexico in 1995. From 2000, he was Counsellor and deputy-head of mission in Santiago de Chile. In October 2002, the Federal Council appointed to the post of Ambassador in Albania.

Yvana
ENZLER was born in Sainte-Croix, Canton of Vaud, in 1952. She studied at the University of Lausanne, graduating with a licence in political science. She also holds an M.A. in liberal studies from the University of Georgetown. She joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1979 and did internships in Bern and Brussels. She returned to Bern in 1981 and was assigned initially to Political Affairs Division I and in 1982 to Political Affairs Division III. In 1986, she was transferred temporarily to the Swiss Mission in New York. She was transferred to Rome in 1988 where she worked as First Secretary of the Embassy and, from 1991, as Counsellor. Later that year, she was transferred to Washington in the same function. She returned to the FDFA head office in 1995 as head of the Section for Recruitment and Training within the General-Secretariat (Resources). From 1998, she worked as Counsellor and as deputy-head of mission in Sarajevo and, at the same time, headed the Pro Helvetia office. In 2002, the Federal Council appointed her to the post of head of the Swiss Liaison Office to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in Pristina, Serbia.

Lukas BEGLINGER was born in Bern in 1955. He completed his studies with a licence in economics (lic.rer.pol.). He went on to study at the Centre d'Études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris, graduating with the Diplôme d'études diplomatiques supérieures in 2005. Mr Beglinger joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1986 and did internships in Bern, Cairo and Geneva. From 1988, he worked in the Finance and Economics Service as a diplomatic desk officer. In 1992, he was appointed deputy-head of the Service, and in 1995 as head. In August 1996, he was transferred as an economics specialist to the Swiss Embassy in Bonn. He was recalled to Bern in November 1996, where he was appointed deputy-head of the Task Force: Switzerland – Second World War, with the title of Minister. In April 1999, he became head of the Switzerland – Second World War Service and, in September 2001, was transferred as deputy-head of the Swiss Delegation to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris with the title of Minister. Since July 2006, Mr Beglinger has been deputy-head of mission at the Swiss Embassy in Moscow with the title of Minister.

Andrej MOTYL, was born in 1956 in Presov, Czechoslovakia. He graduated from the University of Zurich in 1983 with a licence in law. He initially worked as a delegate for the ICRC and as a lawyer in a legal firm before joining the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1989. He did his internships in Bern and Tel-Aviv. On his return to Bern, he worked briefly as a diplomatic desk officer within the Political Affairs Division I. He was transferred temporarily to Rabat and subsequently to Lagos as Third Secretary of the Embassy, where he was promoted to Second Secretary of the Embassy in 1992. In May 1992, he was transferred to Moscow and in 1994 to Tehran, where to became deputy-head of mission and was promoted to First Secretary of the Embassy. At the end of 1997, he was transferred to Tashkent in the same function, where he was promoted to Counsellor. He returned to the FDFA head office in Bern at the beginning of 1999 and was placed in charge of a peacebuilding project in Afghanistan by Political Affairs Division III, followed by a brief secondment to the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. He returned to the FDFA in mid-2001 and was transferred to Skopje as Chargé d’Affaires a.i. In September 2001, he was transferred as deputy-head of mission to Nairobi and in April 2004 in the same function to Tel-Aviv.

Denis FELDMEYER was born in Bern in 1950. He completed his studies at the University of Geneva and at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva (HEI) with a licence in political science (HEI). He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1976 and did internships in Bern and at the Swiss Permanent Delegation to the OECD in Paris. In 1978, he was assigned temporarily to Beirut as Secretary of the Embassy. He returned in the same year, working as a diplomatic desk officer in the Press and Information Section. In 1983, he was transferred as Secretary of the Embassy in charge of economic affairs to Cairo, where he was appointed Counsellor. Following a short period in 1987 at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the International Organisations in Geneva, he was transferred to Belgrade in 1988 as Counsellor and deputy-head of mission. He returned to Bern in 1992 where he became deputy-head of Political Affairs Division II. At the end of 1994, he was transferred to Tel-Aviv as Counsellor and deputy-head of mission. Following his appointment as Ambassador by the Federal Council, he was head of the Permanent Delegation of Switzerland to UNESCO in Paris from April 2000 until November 2004. From November 2004, Mr Feldmeyer has been Swiss Ambassador in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, with residence in Islamabad.

Carla DEL PONTE was born in 1947. After completing her studies at the universities of Bern and Geneva, she was called to the bar in the Canton of Ticino as an attorney and notary in 1972. She was subsequently deputy judge in the Lugano court. After several years as a freelance lawyer, she was appointed examining magistrate of the Canton Ticino in 1981. In 1985 she was appointed state prosecutor in the Canton Ticino. She was appointed State Prosecutor by the Federal Council in 1993 and held this post until 1999, when the UN Security Council appointed her Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Up to 2003, she was also chief prosecutor for the Rwanda war crimes tribunal.

Marco ROSSI, was born in Thalwil, Canton of Zurich, in 1950. He studied civil engineering at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, graduating in 1975 with the dipl. Ing. ETHZ and in 1982 with a Dr. sc. techn. ETHZ. From 1992 to 1993, he attended the Management Seminar for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises at the University of St. Gallen. From 1976 to 1982, he headed a research project within the framework of his doctoral thesis at the ETH Zurich and taught at the ETHZ as well as at the Universities of Applied Sciences in Rapperswil and Horw. From 1982 to 1983, he was employed by the Pro Bolivia Foundation as Director of the Centro Portales cultural centre in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In 1984, he joined the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) within the FDFA. From 1984 to 1989, he carried out a number of different functions in the SDC’s Bolivia programme, including as adviser for a national municipal development programme (in Tarija, Bolivia); as deputy programme coordinator, programme coordinator a.i. (La Paz). In September 1989, he returned to Switzerland, where he worked at the SDC head office in Bern as programme officer for Central America and the Caribbean until April 1992. From May 1993 until September 1996, he headed the SDC Central America programme in Managua, Nicaragua, as regional coordinator. Subsequently and until February 2001, we worked in the SDC Policy and Research Section (now Development Policy), initially as deputy-head and later as head of section. From March 2001 until January 2006, he held different positions within the SDC in the Themes and Special Knowledge Division, including as joint-head of the Section for Social Development, and as deputy-head of the division, and, from January to August 2005, as interim head of the division. At the same time, he worked part-time from September 2001 to August 2002 as a secondee in the Department for International Development (DFID) in London. Since February 2006, Marco Rossi has been Country Director of the SDC Cooperation Office in La Paz.

Etienne THEVOZ was born in Lausanne in 1956. He studied at the University of Geneva, graduating with a Lic. phil. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1988 and did internships in Bern and Tel-Aviv. In 1990, he worked as a diplomatic desk officer in the Political Secretariat. In 1993, he was transferred to the Observer Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York as Second Secretary, where he was promoted to First Secretary in 1994. In 1997, he was transferred to Riyadh as Secretary of the Embassy and deputy-head of mission, where he was appointed Counsellor in 2000. In 2001, he was transferred to the Swiss Mission in Brussels. Since 2004, he has been deputy-head of Political Affairs Division II, Africa and the Middle East, in Bern, with the title of Minister.

Urs BERNER was born in Geneva in 1950. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1973 and in subsequent years has worked in Bern and on postings in New Orleans, Budapest, Lyon, Dijon and Nairobi. In 1989, he was transferred to Islamabad as deputy-head of mission. He returned the FDFA head office in 1994 and worked in the consular and finance inspectorate. From 1999, Mr Berner was in Havana and, since 2002, he has been in Kinshasa as deputy-head of mission with the title of Counsellor.

Kurt HÖCHNER, from Rheineck, Canton of St Gallen, was born in 1947. He graduated with a Doctor of Law from the University of Zurich. He joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1974 and did internships in Bern and Buenos Aires. In 1976, he was transferred from Bern to the General-Consulate in New York and, in 1980, temporarily to Washington before returning in the same year to the FDFA head office, where he was assigned as a diplomatic desk officer to the Section for International Law within the Directorate of International Law. In 1985, he was transferred to Washington, where he was promoted to Counsellor in 1986. In 1989, he was transferred to Jakarta as deputy-head of mission. In 1992, the Federal Council appointed him Vice-Director and head of the Administration Division of the then Directorate of Administration and the Foreign Service [Verwaltungsangelegenheiten und Aussendienst]. From 1995, he was Ambassador in The Philippines, and, from 1998, Ambassador and deputy-head of the Directorate of International Law. From 2000, he was accredited Ambassador in the Principality of Liechtenstein with residence in Bern. Since 2003, he has been Ambassador in the Kingdom of Norway and in the Republic of Iceland, with residence in Oslo.

Appointments in the FDFA