Letter from the ex-President of Switzerland

Confederation Suisse
Confederazione Svizzera             The President of the Swiss Confederation
Confederaziun svizra
Swiss Confederation
CH-3003 Bern, EDA, MCR

A Post

TO:

The LEAD Group Inc.

Mrs Elizabeth O'Brien

P0 Box 161, Summer Hill 2130 NSW

Australia

Berne, 25 July 2011

Dear Mrs O'Brien,

Thank you for your letter of 28 June 2011 regarding the Swiss companies Xstrata and Alcor and their activities linked with addition of lead into gasoline. I can assure you that the protection of the environment and of human health on a global scale from the unsound use of dangerous chemicals lies at the very heart of Swiss international environmental policy.

Switzerland is committed to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Your letter will therefore be forwarded to the Swiss National Contact Point (NCP) for information. The NCP is responsible to raise awareness of the OECD Guidelines, to promote the implementation and be available to advise in case of questions as well as queries. The NCP can also act as informal mediator. In Switzerland, the NCP is located at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) at the International Investment and Multinational Enterprises unit.

Heavy metals cause a problem of global concern for human health and the environment and thus need to be addressed at global level. In this regard, most recently, Switzerland was one of the driving forces to start an intergovernmental negotiations process for a legally binding instrument on mercury, a heavy metal posing severe risks to human health. In addition, Switzerland welcomes the continued activities undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme regarding other heavy metals, in particular lead and cadmium. Moreover Switzerland also suggests to launch a process through which possible options are developed how to tackle the challenges caused by lead and cadmium at international but as well regional and national level.

Yours sincerely,

Micheline Calmy-Rey

Federal Palace West, CH-3003 Berne