Switzerland and Cambodia cement ties furtherAdd story to my swissinfo panel

Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey has held talks near Bern with King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia in efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries.

The discussions, also attended by Swiss Economics Minister Doris Leuthard, covered a wide range of bilateral relations as well as the issue of reforms at the United Nations.

The official visit follows one by Calmy-Rey to Cambodia in February, with the reciprocal trips marking 50 years of diplomatic ties between Bern and Phnom Penh.

Calmy-Rey told the Cambodian monarch that she hoped that the court set up to try serious crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979) would be able to start the first cases in the near future.

Switzerland supports the efforts to prosecute those responsible for atrocities and is to finance the work of an expert at the court - called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia – at its Office of Information and Awareness-Raising.

Gesture

Bern is making the gesture because it believes there is a need to make the objectives and activities of the court better understood by the people of Cambodia.

Tuesday's talks at a government residence near Bern also reviewed bilateral relations in the areas of cultural, economic and political affairs.

A Swiss foreign ministry statement noted that Switzerland supports development in Cambodia through several regional projects carried out by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco).

The discussions also focused on the new United Nations Human Rights Council and the working methods of the UN Security Council.

Although King Sihamoni's visit to Bern was official, the remainder of his trip is private.

Children's hospitals

He is to attend celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of the Kantha Bopha Foundation of Swiss doctor Beat Richner, who has built up children's hospitals in Cambodia.

The hospitals, which are now a mainstay of the Cambodian health system, were founded by Richner mainly from public and private donations from Switzerland. The Swiss government gives about SFr3 million ($2.45 million) annually.

During her February visit, Calmy-Rey visited the newest medical centre, which was inaugurated in December 2005. "My presence and our financial support are the proof of the esteem in which we hold you," she told a group of assembled medical staff.