Bern has judged that Iraqi forces were no longer in a position to present any organised resistance to US and British forces, Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey told reporters.

"This does not mean that the Federal Council considers the war in Iraq to be over, but in the absence of a formal indication of the end of the conflict, the government had to make up its own mind," she said.

Switzerland in February turned down an open-ended US request to allow US military aircraft to fly through its airspace.

Under its neutrality law, Switzerland does not allow aircraft engaged in military action to use its airspace, with the possible exception of humanitarian flights.

Bern will now concentrate on providing humanitarian aid to Iraq and on building democratic institutions, Calmy-Rey said.

The government has set aside an additional 20 million Swiss francsmillion euros/14 million dollars) to provide aid to the Iraqi population.

Ten million Swiss Francs will go to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in response to an emergency appeal.

Switzerland's future engagement in Iraq will depend to a large extent on the role played by the United Nations in the country's reconstruction and civilian government, said Calmy-Rey.

"We have always been very clear about this and I said so to (US Secretary of State) Colin Powell when we met in January in Davos," she said.

SPACE.WIRE