Exports from Switzerland rose by a real 5.2 percent in February to 11.49 billion Swiss francs, the Federal Customs Office said on Thursday, confirming that the recovery in foreign trade was gathering pace. Compared with the year-ago month, imports to the fragile Swiss economy fell a real 0.9 percent to 10.12 billion. Overall Switzerland ran a merchandise trade surplus of 1.37 billion Swiss francs in February versus a revised 910.9 million surplus in January. The figures exclude precious metals and stones, works of art and antiques.///