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Wood<BR></SPAN><SPAN CLASS="avtext">"This is an extremely hard sell"<BR CLEAR=ALL></SPAN><SPAN CLASS="avtightgrey"><IMG SRC="/furniture/video.gif" VALIGN="MIDDLE" ALT=""> real <A href="/olmedia/1200000/video/_1201723_swiss18_doole_vi.ram"><B>56k</B> </A><BR></SPAN><IMG SRC="/furniture/dkgreypixel.gif" WIDTH=100 HEIGHT=1 VSPACE=2 ALT=""><BR CLEAR=ALL></TD> </TR> </TABLE> </TD> <TD><IMG SRC="/furniture/nothing.gif" WIDTH=5 HEIGHT=200 ALT=""></TD> <TD VALIGN=TOP> <SPAN CLASS="date">Sunday, 4 March, 2001, 16:51 GMT </SPAN> <DIV CLASS="headlinestory"><B>Swiss say 'no' to EU</B><BR></DIV> <FONT FACE="sans-serif" SIZE="2"> <DIV CLASS="inlineimage"> <IMG alt="An election official" vspace="0" border=0 width="315" height="180" src="/olmedia/1200000/images/_1201723_official_ap300.jpg"><BR CLEAR="all"> <DIV CLASS="caption"><SMALL>The preliminary results were not surprising</SMALL><BR></DIV> </DIV> <DIV CLASS="bodytext">The Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal for immediate membership talks with the European Union, according to exit polls and early results. <P> Initial forecasts, broadcast by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, indicate that between 70% and 80% voted against the initiative, known as "Yes to Europe". <P> </FONT><TABLE CELLSPACING="2" ALIGN="RIGHT" WIDTH="154" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2"><TR><TD><FONT FACE="sans-serif" SIZE="2"> <DIV CLASS="inlineimage"> <IMG alt="A man swings an European flag in the Swiss alps" vspace="0" border=0 width="150" height="190" src="/olmedia/1200000/images/_1201723_flag_ap150.jpg"><BR CLEAR="all"> <DIV CLASS="caption"><SMALL>Many Swiss feel they have little to gain from EU ties</SMALL><BR></DIV> </DIV> </FONT></TD></TR></TABLE> <FONT FACE="sans-serif" SIZE="2"> The preliminary results come as no surprise, as analysts had predicted that only about 32% would vote "yes". <P> Switzerland's four-party coalition government had urged the 4.6 million electorate to oppose the plan, saying it was politically premature. <P><B>Forecasts</B> <P> The government says such talks should not start before the 2003-2007 legislative period. <P> The exit polls indicate that a large majority in German-speaking cantons voted against. <P> </FONT><TABLE CELLSPACING="2" ALIGN="RIGHT" WIDTH="154" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2"><TR><TD><FONT FACE="sans-serif" SIZE="2"> <DIV CLASS="inlineimage"> <IMG alt="A member of the committee "Yes to Europe"" vspace="0" border=0 width="150" height="190" src="/olmedia/1200000/images/_1201723_suter_ap150.jpg"><BR CLEAR="all"> <DIV CLASS="caption"><SMALL>The pro-Europe movement is disappointed</SMALL><BR></DIV> </DIV> </FONT></TD></TR></TABLE> <FONT FACE="sans-serif" SIZE="2"> Even in Geneva - the heart of the country's French-speaking region that has traditionally been most supportive of closer European ties - 58% of voters are thought to have rejected the initiative. <P> The proposal was submitted by the Socialist Party and youth groups with the 100,000 signatures necessary to file for a popular referendum. <P> Although the seven-member Cabinet has repeatedly stated it wants Switzerland to join the EU, it argued that public opinion would not permit that until at least 2010. <P> Members of the "New European Movement Switzerland", which launched the initiative, expressed disappointment at the result. <P> They said they had not expected such a low "yes" vote. <P><B>Strong economy</B> <P> But with their economy prospering, many Swiss feel they have little to gain and much to lose from closer EU ties. <P> And there seems to be little appetite for dropping the Swiss franc in favour of the Euro. <P> </FONT><TABLE CELLSPACING="2" ALIGN="RIGHT" WIDTH="154" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2"><TR><TD><FONT FACE="sans-serif" SIZE="2"> <DIV CLASS="inlineimage"> <IMG alt="A woman casts her ballot " vspace="0" border=0 width="150" height="190" src="/olmedia/1200000/images/_1201723_woman_ap150.jpg"><BR CLEAR="all"> <DIV CLASS="caption"><SMALL>The government urged the electorate to vote against the plan</SMALL><BR></DIV> </DIV> </FONT></TD></TR></TABLE> <FONT FACE="sans-serif" SIZE="2"> Swish inflation is lower than the European average and economic growth is higher. <P> Last year, there was a record budget surplus of 4.5 billion Swiss francs ($2,6 billion). <P> Inflation and unemployment are only about 2%, and foreign companies are flocking to set up headquarters in Switzerland. <P> And with the European single currency continuing to languish against other key currencies, few Swiss see the benefits of giving up their traditionally strong currency. <P> </DIV> </FONT> </TD> <TD><IMG SRC="/furniture/nothing.gif" WIDTH=10 HEIGHT=1 ALT=""></TD> <TD VALIGN=TOP> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">  </SCRIPT> <TABLE BORDER=0 CELLPADDING=0 CELLSPACING=0 WIDTH=170 BGCOLOR="#FFFFCC"> <TR> <TD><IMG SRC="/furniture/nothing.gif" WIDTH=2 HEIGHT=1></TD> <TD COLSPAN=2><FONT SIZE="1"><B CLASS="search">Search BBC News Online</B></FONT><BR CLEAR=ALL><IMG SRC="/furniture/nothing.gif" WIDTH=1 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delay EU summit</A> </DIV> <DIV CLASS="aitem"><SPAN CLASS="seealsodate">05 Dec 00 | Europe</SPAN><BR> <A HREF="/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1055000/1055729.stm" CLASS="heavy">How the EU was built</A> </DIV> <DIV CLASS="aitem"><SPAN CLASS="seealsodate">15 Jan 01 | Country profiles</SPAN><BR> <A HREF="/hi/english/world/europe/country_profiles/newsid_1035000/1035212.stm" CLASS="heavy">Country profile: Switzerland</A> </DIV> </DIV> <DIV CLASS="rhslist"> <DIV CLASS="rhshead"><B>Internet links:</B><BR><IMG SRC="/furniture/grey_pixel.gif" WIDTH=170 VSPACE="2" HEIGHT=1 ALT=""><BR></DIV> <DIV CLASS="aitem"><A href="http://www.europa.admin.ch/e/" CLASS="heavy">Swiss Office For European Integration</A></DIV><DIV CLASS="aitem"><A href="http://europa.eu.int/index-en.htm" CLASS="heavy">European Union</A></DIV> <SPAN CLASS="disclaimer"><BR>The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites</SPAN><BR> </DIV> <DIV CLASS="rhslist"> <DIV CLASS="rhshead"><B>Top Europe stories 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