The Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it favored a diplomatic solution to the issue concerning Iran's nuclear program.
Speaking to the local Swiss News Agency, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel said he had "taken note" of a new U.S. intelligence report that appears to play down the Iran nuclear threat.
"The report supports the idea that a diplomatic solution must be found in this issue," Knuchel said.
The U.S. report said with "high confidence" that it believed Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
This is in contrast to earlier assessments that Iran was pushing ahead with its weapons program, a charge Tehran has always denied.
Observers say that the Swiss diplomatic line is different to that of its European neighbors, many of whom -- such as France -- favor tougher sanctions against Tehran.
Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey has recently stated that Switzerland is a neutral land and has a duty to promote proper and direct diplomatic dialog.
Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran and is used as a go-between by the two sides. The U.S. and Iran broke off diplomatic relations in 1980 after American embassy staff were taken hostage in Tehran.
Source: Xinhua
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