Brussels, 21/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The President of the Swiss Federation, Moritz Leuenberger asked the EU to speed-up preparations of negotiations for Switzerland to be part of the Schengen acquis, when meeting the President of the European Council, Guy Verhofstadt in Brussels this week. After the attacks on the United States, "there needs to be much closer co-operation" on security and asylum issues, Guy Verhostadt acknowledged, quoted by the Swiss Agence Telegraphique. The Commission is currently preparing the negotiating brief, demanded by the General Affairs Council in June. For Swiss diplomats, agreement on Schengen issues should speed-up on-going negotiations in the field of combating tax fraud. The President of the Swiss Confederation, moreover, raised the ratification process of the seven sectoral agreements signed in June 2000. Guy Verhofstadt also assured him that France, Belgium and Ireland, the only countries still not to have ratified the agreements, should have done so by "end-November", says the Swiss press agency.