Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 5790 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AF AE ASEC AORC AJ AM AR AEMR AMGT APER AG AS AU AGMT AFIN ABUD ATRN AL APECO ACOA AO AX AMED ADCO AODE AFFAIRS AC ASIG ABLD AA AFU ASUP AROC ATFN AVERY APCS AER ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AEC ASEAN AID
BR BIDEN BO BA BU BM BEXP BRUSSELS BL BK BILAT BTIO BH BE BX BY BG BF BB BC BBSR BMGT BTIU
CH CO CI COUNTERTERRORISM CA CY CVIS CMGT CASC CS CU CJAN CE COUNTER CBW CG CLINTON CDG CIA CACM CDB CD CV CF CN CAN CIS CM CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS COM CJUS CARSON CL CODEL
DOD DJ DA DEAX DR DHS DOE DEA DK DISENGAGEMENT DS DTRA
ES EFIN ECON EWWT EINVEFIN ELAB EU ETTC EAID ENRG ETRD EUN EC EG EINV EXTERNAL ER ECIN EPET EMIN EAGR EIND ECPS ECIP EINDETRD EN EAIR EZ ET EUC EI ELTN EREL EFIS EINT ETC ECONEFIN ENVR ECA ELN EFTA ENIV EINVETC EINN ENGR EUR ESA ENERG EK ENGY ETRO ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ETRDEINVTINTCS ESENV ENVI ECONCS ETRDECONWTOCS ENNP ELECTIONS ECUN
FR FMLN FARC FJ FINR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FBI
GG GM GOI GT GZ GTMO GV GH GA GE GR GTIP GCC GAZA GANGS GY
HO HURI HILLARY HA HU HR HUMAN HYMPSK HK HSTC
IR IS IMO IZ IN INTERPOL IT INRB IAEA ID IO IV ICTY IQ ICAO IPR IRAJ INRA INRO IC IIP ILC ITPHUM IWC ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC IF IEFIN INTELSAT IL IA IBRD IMF INR IRC ITRA IACI ICJ ITALY ITALIAN
JO JA JOSEPH JAMES JP JOHNNIE JM JUS
KJUS KDEM KTFN KNNP KWBG KPAL KPKO KSCA KCRM KR KWMN KN KU KV KE KISL KCOR KPAO KG KTIP KICC KBCT KSPR KHLS KTIA KMDR KGHG KUNR KS KIRF KFRD KIPR KAWC KPWR KCIP KSUM KWAC KMIG KOLY KZ KAWK KSEC KIFR KDRG KDEMAF KFIN KGIC KOMC KGCC KPIN KBIO KHIV KNUC KPLS KIRC KACT KRAD KCOM KMCA KHDP KVPR KDEV KMPI KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KTLA KCFC KPRP KCFE KOCI KTDB KMRS KLIG KGIT KSTC KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KO KTER KHUM KRFD KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KNPP KNAR KWMM KERG KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KTBT KCRS KRVC KSTH KREL KNSD KTEX KPAI KHSA KOMS KVIR
LY LG LE LH LU LI LO LOG LT LAB
MARR MASS MOPS MTCRE MNUC MY MX MCAP MO MPOS MAR MD MZ MEPP MA MR ML MIL MOPPS MTCR MAPP MU MG MASC MCC MK MTRE MP MDC MEPI MRCRE MI MT MQADHAFI MAPS MUCN MASSMNUC MERCOSUR MC MV
NATO NL NI NZ NG NU NO NIPP NPT NRR NE NS NAR NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NGO NP NSF NATIONAL
OVIP OTRA OPRC OSCI OTR OVP OREP ODIP OPDC OIIP OFFICIALS OSAC OAS OEXC OFDP OECD OSCE OPIC OPCW OIE OIC
PREL PTER PGOV PK PHSA PBTS PHUM PARM PINR PINS PSI PA PE PO PINT PL PSOE PU POL POLITICAL PARTIES PROP PBIO PECON PM PREF PAK POGOV PINL PKFK PGOF PARMS PUNE PORG PMIL PTERE PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PRGOV PNAT PROV PEL PINF PGOVE POLINT PRL PRAM PMAR PGOVLO PHUMBA PHUS PHUMPREL PG PGOC POLITICS PEPR
QA
RS RU RW RO REGION RP RIGHTS RICE ROBERT RF RFE
SA SP SCUL SNAR SOCI SMIG SY SU SR SENV STEINBERG SN SO SF SG SW SL SZ SHUM SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SH SI SNARCS
TU TSPA TRGY TI TX TS TW TC TERRORISM TPHY TIP TBIO TH TR TT TO TFIN TD TSPL TZ TK TNGD TINT TRSY TP
UK UNGA UN UP UY UNESCO UNO UZ UNMIK US UG UNSC USEU UV USUN UNHRC UE UAE UNEP USTR UNHCR UNDP USAID UNCHS UNAUS UNCHC UNDC UNDESCO
VT VE VZ VTPREL VN VM
WI WTRO WTO WA WZ WMO WTRQ WHO WWARD WB WBG WEU WHA
XY XW XF XA XG XT XM XR XS XL XK XH XC XZ XD XE
YI YM YE YMCS
ZP ZR ZI ZU ZB ZF ZK ZANU ZOELLICK ZA ZO ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 09BERN350, SWISS REACTION TO UBS AGREEMENT \

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09BERN350.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09BERN350 | 2009-08-20 15:03 | 2011-03-14 06:06 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Bern
Appears in these articles: http://www.letemps.ch/swiss_papers

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHSW #0350/01 2321510
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 201510Z AUG 09
    FM AMEMBASSY BERN
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6015
    INFO RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
    RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

` `

    2009-08-20 15:10:00	09BERN350	Embassy Bern	CONFIDENTIAL	09BERN68	VZCZCXYZ0000\
    RR RUEHWEB\
    \
    DE RUEHSW #0350/01 2321510\
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH\
    R 201510Z AUG 09\
    FM AMEMBASSY BERN\
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6015\
    INFO RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC\
    RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC\
    	C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 000350 \
     \
    SIPDIS \
     \
    DEPT OF JUSTICE FOR B.SWARTZ, \
    L/EB FOR K.KIZER AND W.TEEL \
     \
    E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/19/2019 \
    TAGS: ECON EFIN PREL SZ
    SUBJECT: SWISS REACTION TO UBS AGREEMENT \
     \
    REF: BERN 68 \
     \
    Classified By: DCM L.Carter for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). \
     \
    ¶1.  (C) Summary.  President and Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf \
    Merz, Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, and Foreign \
    Affairs Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey in an August 19 press \
    conference praised the UBS agreement as the only possible \
    solution and a "Peace Treaty."  The Ministers were quick to \
    limit the reach of the agreement to UBS only, although the \
    Justice Minister recognized the agreement could open the door \
    for similar requests from other Swiss banks if those banks \
    committed similar egregious acts like UBS.  Media \
    commentators and political pundits covered a range of \
    opinions from declaring the agreement a true victory for the \
    U.S. to an absolute win for Switzerland.  Unlike the media, \
    local business leaders and the Swiss Bankers Association \
    universally expressed relief that the UBS case was resolved. \
    The UBS case had been a dark cloud over bilateral relations, \
    with concerns it could escalate to a seriously damaging event \
    similar to the Holocaust asset case a decade ago.  Current \
    Swiss opinion indicates, however, that the agreement will \
    mollify all but the most anti-American voices and leave our \
    bilateral relations relatively unscathed. End Summary. \
     \
    ------------------------------------- \
    FEDERAL COUNCILLORS PRAISE RESOLUTION, GOOD BILATERAL \
    RELATIONS \
    ------------------------------------- \
     \
    ¶2. (U) President and Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz, \
    Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, and Foreign Affairs \
    Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey discussed the resolution of the \
    UBS case in a press conference on August 19.  Widmer-Schlumpf \
    touted the bilateral agreement as the only possible solution. \
     She commented that it was necessary to preserve the Swiss \
    legal system against the unilateral enforcement of US \
    regulations, which could include freezing UBS' US-based \
    assets.  Calmy-Rey called the agreement a "Peace Treaty" and \
    praised the good Swiss connections with the US for making the \
    agreement possible.  While President Merz emphasized that the \
    agreement only applied to the specific case of UBS, Widmer- \
    Schlumpf countered that the tax treaty language "tax fraud \
    and the like" coupled with the recently adopted OECD \
    standards for administrative assistance could open the door \
    for similar requests for information from other Swiss banks \
    if those banks had committed similar egregious acts like UBS. \
     President Merz, who previously expressed regret at UBS' \
    unacceptable actions (reftel), appealed to Swiss banks to \
    respect U.S. laws and the Qualified Intermediary regulations. \
     \
    -------------------------------- \
    NO CLEAR TREND IN MEDIA OPINIONS \
    -------------------------------- \
     \
    ¶3. (U) Media commentators and political pundits covered a \
    range of opinions from declaring the agreement a true victory \
    for the U.S. to an absolute win for Switzerland.  Neither the \
    political persuasion of the papers nor the region of the \
    country defined a clear Swiss opinion about the effects of \
    the agreement.  Newspaper articles ranged from claiming the \
    broader interpretation of "tax fraud and the like" in the tax \
    agreement was the "last nail in the coffin of banking \
    secrecy" to citing legal experts that announced Switzerland \
    had been the clear winner because Switzerland's legal \
    procedures had not been compromised.  Another paper took a \
    completely different approach arguing that even though the \
    agreement was the only tenable solution, it placed undue \
    pressure on Switzerland's governmental system of separation \
    of powers between the Federal Council and the Tax \
    Administration Court. \
     \
    ------------------------------ \
    BUSINESS RELIEVED BY AGREEMENT \
    ------------------------------ \
     \
    ¶4. (C) Unlike the media, business leaders universally \
    expressed relief that the UBS case was resolved.  Swiss \
    American Chamber of Commerce CEO Martin Naville told econoff \
    that the agreement was a positive outcome for two reasons: 1) \
    the agreement was signed under a partnership spirit without \
    the adversarial tone expressed in previous months; and 2) the \
    exchange of information will be in accordance with the double \
    taxation treaty.  He highlighted that political will to \
    ratify the recently revised treaty would not exist if the IRS \
    did not conform to the requirements of the original treaty. \
    Naville expected there to be some domestic policy noise about \
    Switzerland relinquishing its sovereignty and its tradition \
    of bank secrecy, but these opinions would not cloud the \
    positive impact of the resolution. \
     \
    ¶5. (C) Thomas Pletscher, Executive Board Member of \
    EconomieSuisse, Switzerland's largest umbrella organization \
    for Swiss business and industry, echoed Naville's sentiments \
    calling the agreement a "relief."  Pletscher stated that the \
    overall industry response had been positive.  He told econoff \
    that a long drawn out court case posed "a danger of \
    overshadowing" and "seriously damaging" otherwise good \
    bilateral relations.  In addition, the agreement established \
    a procedure to avoid a clash of the two countries' legal \
    frameworks.  Pletscher was not concerned about the agreement \
    breaching Switzerland's banking secrecy.  He stated that the \
    agreement marked the "end of Hollywood's version of banking \
    secrecy" which was always an inaccurate portrayal.  Banking \
    secrecy was designed to protect individual privacy, not to \
    hide criminal conduct. \
     \
    ¶6.  (C) The Swiss Bankers Association's Head of U.S. Affairs \
    Heinreich Siegmann reiterated the relief that the complicated \
    matter had been resolved amicably and within the Swiss legal \
    framework.  Siegmann informed econoff that maintaining the \
    stability of Swiss law was crucial to the continuing success \
    of the Swiss financial center. \
     \
    ------- \
    COMMENT \
    ------- \
     \
    ¶7.  (C)  Post expects that the UBS case will provide the \
    Swiss media fodder for claiming the U.S. bullied Switzerland \
    into an agreement that marks the demise of banking secrecy, a \
    national heritage.  However, Swiss government and business \
    leaders generally view the agreement as a mutual compromise \
    that protects Swiss sovereignty while enabling the U.S. to \
    enforce its tax laws.  The UBS case was a dark cloud over \
    bilateral relations, with concerns it could escalate to a \
    seriously damaging event similar to the Holocaust asset case \
    a decade ago.  Current Swiss opinion indicates, however, that \
    the agreement will mollify all but the most anti-American \
    voices and leave our bilateral relations relatively unscathed. \
    BEYER \

`