The Swiss government decided on Wednesday to push ahead with its controversial anti-terrorism plan giving the federal police wider powers that include measures such as phone tapping.

The cabinet believed the terror threat was still real enough to maintain the project despite criticism that it intrudes too much into the private sphere, Justice Minister Christoph Blocher was quoted as saying by Swiss Radio International (SRI).

The Swiss government wants to change the law to allow the Swiss secret services to be able to carry out communications surveillance- correspondence, telephone and email -- and observe private areas such as hotel rooms, if necessary by installing bugging devices.

Blocher promised that these measures -- which were put forward last year for consultation -- would only concern cases that dealt with terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and spying.

"We are keeping to these measures because the danger has not lessened," Blocher said in the Swiss capital, Bern, adding that if there had been an attack on Switzerland, everyone would be in favor of the plan.

He dismissed fears from some political parties that the measures would be too intrusive. "Switzerland respects the rule of law to the extreme and will keep doing so," said the minister.

The government proposal will now be discussed in parliament, SRI said.

Source: Xinhua