The Federal Council prohibits Fazli Veliu from engaging in political activities in Switzerland

The Federal Council wants to avoid a situation whereby the conflict in the Balkans is stirred up from Switzerland. It decided on Friday to prohibit the Macedonian of Albanian ethnicity, Fazli Veliu, from establishing, representing or supporting any organisations which are either themselves violently involved in the conflict in Macedonia or which provide third parties that use violence in this conflict, with propagandist, material or financial support. Veliu is under threat of deportation if he should contravene this ban. The Federal Council has asked the Federal Department of Justice and Police to notify Veliu of this resolution.

Veliu's activities

Fazli Veliu is a Macedonian of Albanian ethnicity. He has lived in Switzerland since 1987, is regarded as a representative of a Greater Albania, and was chairman of LPK (popular movement of Kosovo) until 1998. He was then active as a consultant for UCK. In late May, the UCK leadership in Macedonia appointed him representative of Switzerland. Veliu makes speeches at events - which also have a fund-raising aspect - in Switzerland and in other countries.

The activities of political groups of Albanian ethnicity in Switzerland have not so far resulted in any noteworthy interference with internal security. However, Switzerland serves these groups as logistics theatre, recruitment base, and propaganda zone. In a few cases, weapons were procured or brokered, and great amounts of money are being collected for humanitarian purposes or political objectives. In most recent times, this has thus contrived to give the impression that Switzerland tolerates or even supports such activities.

Switzerland's position

Switzerland does not tolerate other countries' internal security being directly or indirectly endangered by people working from Swiss territory. Nor has it remained inactive in this particular case. Branches of the UCK and various political organisations, such as LPK, have been subjected to measures aiming at the preservation of internal security. Also, Switzerland has stripped some people of their asylum status, and the Federal Office of Police has twice reported the Bota Sot newspaper, which is published in Switzerland, to the Zurich prosecution authorities. In this connection, mention should also be made of the ban on the acquisition and carrying of arms which has been put on nationals of Yugoslavia's successor states.

Veliu's activities are apt to jeopardise Switzerland's relations with Macedonia and with other countries which, like Switzerland, are making efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement in the Balkans and which condemn the belligerent activities of Albanian nationalists. For this reason, the Federal Council regards the issue of an order pursuant to Art. 184(3) of the Federal Constitution as justified. This article refers to relations with other countries and provides that the Federal Council may issue regulations and orders if the preservation of national interest so requires.

Constitutional measures

On the basis of the above, the Federal Council decided to apply Art. 184(3) to Fazli Veliu and to prohibit him from establishing, representing or supporting any organisations which are either themselves violently involved in the conflict in Macedonia or which provide third parties that use violence, with propagandist, material or financial support. To prevent any circumvention of this ban, Veliu is not allowed to order third parties to undertake such activities, either. In the case of an infringement of this ban, he is threatened with deportation in accordance with Art. 121(2) of the Federal Constitution, for reasons of preserving Swiss security interests.

Berne, 15 June 2001

Jurg Buhler, Federal Office of Police, +41 (0)31 3223607