Swiss president to meet US Secretary of State Rubio for talks on Wednesday

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter will meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, the State Department said, as Switzerland tries to win a reprieve from U.S. tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports.

Keller-Sutter and Business Minister Guy Parmelin flew to Washington on Tuesday for last-minute negotiations before the tariffs go into effect on Thursday.

The Swiss president, who is leading a delegation of officials, will meet with Rubio for a closed meeting at the State Department at 10.15 Washington time, according to the public schedule of the department.

The meeting is scheduled to last one hour.

The Swiss government declined to comment on the meeting or whether other meetings with American officials were planned.

Switzerland desperately wants to negotiate down the 39% tariffs on its exports to the United States announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday.

The European country was stunned by the announcement, which threatens major damage to its export-orientated economy by reducing access to its biggest overseas market.

The United States is a big buyer for Swiss watches, machinery and chocolate, which would all suffer from the tariff that is at a much higher level than import duties agreed between the U.S. and the European Union, Britain and Japan.

Swiss industry has welcomed the efforts by Bern to find a solution to the tariff situation, which threatened thousands of jobs in Switzerland.

"We greatly appreciate the tireless commitment of the Federal Council and the Federal Administration and welcome the efforts to find a solution with the United States," said Noe Blancpain, executive board member of industry association Swissmem.