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SWX Swiss Exchange: Annual Report 2001 Of The Disclosure Office On The Internet

Date 29/05/2002

The Disclosure Office of the SWX Swiss Exchange is publishing its Annual Report 2001 on the Internet under the following link:

http://www.swx.com/admission/disclosure_anualreport_en.html

This report provides a brief overview of the Office's most important activities and its practice.

The Disclosure Office is a department within the Issuers Division of the SWX Swiss Exchange and is supervised directly by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission. It was created in connection with the introduction of the obligation to disclose shareholdings above certain thresholds (5, 10, 20, 33 1/3, 50 and 66 2/3%) in Swiss listed companies pursuant to Art. 20 of the Stock Exchange Act. In accordance with the Act and its implementing provisions, the task of the Disclosure Office is to receive such notifications of shareholdings, grant exemptions or relief from the reporting obligation and render preliminary decisions on whether a duty to notify exists or not.