Blocher Meets Gonzales, Mueller and Thornberry

Swiss Justice Minister Christoph Blocher and FBI-Director Robert Mueller,
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Swiss Justice Minister Christoph Blocher has held anti-terrorism talks with his United States counterpart, Alberto Gonzales, and FBI head Robert Mueller.

Speaking in Washington, Blocher said that he was "positively surprised that a superpower like the US took the time for such talks". The meetings focused on strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism and between the law enforcement agencies of both countries, as well as mutual assistance on criminal matters.

For his part, Blocher praised the close security ties between the US and Switzerland which had developed following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. He singled out cooperation with the FBI in particular, with whom "the work was carried out every day and at all levels, including and especially, at the lowest levels from police officer to police officer".

Blocher said that Alberto Gonzales and Robert Mueller were of the opinion that high-level exchanges should "take place in an informal way and that we should be able to speak to each other on the telephone directly".

He did not discuss human rights violations with his US counterparts. "They didnt wait for me to bring up these issues," he said at a press conference in Washington.