class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
Earthquake in Federal Bern: Jean-Daniel Ruch (60) should not take up his position as State Secretary for Security Policy – he would pose a security risk. And that’s not all: as we can hear, Secretary General Toni Eder (62) of the Ministry of Defense (VBS) of Viola Amherd (61) also has to leave his office. He was on the search committee to find the State Secretary for Security.
Ruch, currently the Swiss ambassador to Turkey, should have taken up his new position on January 1, 2024. But nothing comes of that, reports Radio SRF. This is consistent with research by Blick. And Blick knows even more: According to various sources, the fact that nothing comes of it has to do with Ruch’s lifestyle. They say he’s clearly open to blackmail.
Amherd will have to inform her colleagues on the Federal Council this Wednesday that Ruch cannot take his position after all. A bitter setback for the Minister of Defense, who will now be announced immediately after the parliamentary elections.
Clarifications in the background
Since the radical Islamist Hamas attack on Israel, Ruch’s close ties with Hamas have been repeatedly criticized in the media. But this also stems from the fact that he had to talk to Hamas on behalf of former Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey (78, SP).
But from the point of view of many observers, Ruch had conducted this dialogue too one-sidedly pro-Hamas. When SVP Council Member Alfred Heer (62) described Ruch as unbearable two weeks ago because of his Hamas-friendliness, the federal government did not (yet) share this opinion.
In the background, an investigation was still underway into the behavior of the ambassador, who allegedly overplayed the unpopular favorite in SVP circles, Pälvi Pulli (52), the head of security policy of the VBS. But of the 39 applications, at least one applicant belonging to the SVP reportedly lost to Ruch in the selection process.
Ex-chief spy and Fedpol boss was wrong
The search committee’s advice was probably decisive in this regard. In addition to Toni Eder, member of the center party of Amherd, this was also his deputy at the general secretariat of the VBS, Marc Siegenthaler (47).
There was also the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Markus Seiler (54, FDP) – the former head of the secret service. But the current director of the Federal Police Office (Fedpol), Nicoletta della Valle (62, SP), was also on board. The search committee was supplemented by Béatrice Métraux (68, Greens), former government councilor of the canton of Vaud.
The fact that such a high-profile committee, including the former head of the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB), apparently made a terrible mistake about Jean-Daniel Ruch does not sit well with the head of the federal government.
According to information from Blick, Ignazio Cassis (62) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EDA) had always informed the DDPS that “everything was fine” with their ambassador in Ankara, who had previously worked as Swiss ambassador in Tel Aviv, Israel .
Like it wasn’t the trigger
However, there was already talk of the fact that shortly after his appointment, Jean-Daniel Ruch liked a post on the business network Linkedin from an ex-diplomat who criticized the “Minister of War” Amherd.
However, anything more far-reaching would have led to his departure before he took office. Apparently so drastic that even VBS Secretary General Eder can no longer be stopped.
In contrast to her former predecessor Samuel Schmid (76, BDP), Defense Minister Amherd withdrew her top official before he took office. Schmid ran into his army leader Roland Nef (64) because he had not examined him sufficiently.
The reason was the war in Ukraine
The State Secretariat for Security Policy (Sepos) will start its work next year, taking into account the increased need for coordination between the authorities involved. Together with the Federal Intelligence Service, the Federal Police Office and the responsible authorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the aim is to analyze the national and international security situation.
The reason for the new State Secretariat was the war in Ukraine, as Defense Minister Amherd explained in April: “This war shows us that urgent action is needed.” In addition to military means, wars are increasingly being waged using hybrid means. These included cyber attacks, disinformation, influence peddling, pressure attempts or blackmail and even covert operations. An increase in cyber attacks is also noticeable in Switzerland. It is important to join forces here.
However, until today it was not known exactly how the new State Secretariat should be set up and what tasks it should fulfil. Due to Ruch’s abrupt departure, delays may occur here.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
