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Switzerland
to join United Nations after 57 years GENEVA — European countries on Monday applauded a decision by Switzerland to join the United Nations after 57 years on the sidelines — a decision that Swiss opponents feared would threaten the country’s centuries-old tradition of neutrality. “This historic decision puts one of Europe’s oldest democracies where she belongs — at the heart of global decision-making,” British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Swiss membership would complement the country’s long-standing contributions to humanitarian work across the globe. Sunday’s national referendum was 55-45 percent in favor of joining the world body. A second hurdle — approval by at least half the country’s cantons, or states — received a much narrower 12-11 result. In Sweden, another country with a history of neutrality, Switzerland’s decision was one of the top stories in news broadcasts and newspapers. “It is a step toward opening relations with the surrounding world,” said the Stockholm daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. As a result of the vote, Switzerland will become the 190th U.N. member at the General Assembly in September. By ending its long tenure on the sidelines, it leaves the Vatican as the only state with U.N. observer status. During the Cold War, Switzerland feared U.N. membership would sweep it into the battles between East and West. More recently, opponents have feared having to submit to the political dictates of the Security Council. Swiss media rejoiced over the decision, with the Blick newspaper announcing “We’re in!” on its front page. The Lausanne daily Le Matin played on Neil Armstrong’s first words from the moon on its front page, with, “It’s a small step for the world, but a big step for Switzerland!” A cartoon portrayed Switzerland as the moon, from which a Swiss peasant has just landed on Earth to greet U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The referendum reversed a 1986 vote in which the Swiss overwhelmingly rejected moves to join the world body at the height of its Cold War divisions. The government pushed the latest initiative, believing that the political climate has changed and that it was time for the 7 million Swiss to play a full role in the world. Although Switzerland was a member of the League of Nations, the U.N. predecessor, it had steadfastly refused to join the United Nations since its creation at the end of World War II. The decisive vote came from the picturesque canton of Lucerne in the Swiss heartland. It often votes in harmony with more conservative neighboring cantons, but this time 51 percent of the voters put Lucerne in the pro-U.N. column — a margin of 2,282 votes. The Swiss have practiced forms of neutrality on and off since the 13th century, but the principle was laid down formally in the 1815 Treaty of Paris that ended the Napoleonic Wars. In that pact, European powers guaranteed the “perpetual neutrality” of Switzerland. The Swiss themselves made it part of their 1848 constitution. Treating both sides in a war evenhandedly has remained a guiding principle since, although recent historical reviews have said Switzerland went too far in helping the Germans in World War II. Despite its long refusal to join the full United Nations, Switzerland has long been a dues-paying member of some U.N. specialized agencies like the World Health Organization. And recently it has been stepping up its contributions to peacekeeping operations. Switzerland has not moved to join any military alliance, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But the government does have a longer-term goal of joining the European Union, which is expected to encounter even tougher resistance. Billionaire industrialist Christoph Blocher — a nationalist politician who led the opposition this time — said he “deeply regretted” the outcome. “It will lead to the weakening of Switzerland,” Blocher said. “Freedom and the rights of the people will be limited, and neutrality will at the very least be deeply damaged.” |
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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