Swiss Envoy Quits Amid Holocaust Controversy

BERN, Switzerland — This nation’s ambassador to the United States resigned Monday because of a leaked document in which he likened handling the controversy over the Swiss accounts of Nazi victims to waging a war.

Carlo Jagmetti found himself at the center of a new controversy after details of a report he sent to the Swiss capital in December were leaked to a newspaper.

Switzerland’s strained ties with Jewish groups seeking compensation for families of Holocaust victims who left assets in Swiss banks worsened with the publication of excerpts from the leaked document.

Swiss Jewish leaders called for Jagmetti’s ouster and criticized his comments, which came from a private strategy paper on how to handle a dispute over dormant accounts of Holocaust victims in Swiss banks.

Jagmetti’s report described the barrage of allegations against Switzerland as a “war” that the country “must fight and win on two fronts: foreign and domestic.”

In a letter released by the Foreign Ministry, Jagmetti said he was quitting because “I no longer find it appropriate to continue my activity as ambassador in this country. . . . The leak, the resulting stories in the media and the reaction that followed from persons affected and from the public have created an intolerable situation for me.

“What especially moves me is the accusation that the report reflects anti-Semitism,” he added. He said the remarks were taken out of context from a report not intended for publication and expressed regret that he had caused offense.