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Switzerland on the UN Security Council? The first UN ambassador is essential
Switzerland’s first ambassador to the United Nations is skeptical about a possible seat for Switzerland on the United Nations Security Council. Former diplomat Jenö Staehelin fears the attempts of the great powers to pressure Switzerland and the fierce internal debates, as he said in an interview with the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” on Friday.
He was the first UN ambassador to Switzerland: Jenö Staehelin in 2003 Bild: AP
He is not a supporter of Switzerland’s candidacy as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2023/2024 term, the 80-year-old Basel lawyer said. “A seat on the Security Council is risky; unless it has very broad domestic political support. “
You can move more in the Security Council than as a normal UN member, Staehelin explained. But it is naive to trust that it will not be in a delicate situation in these two years.
Pressure attempts and demands from the great powers must be prepared on the international stage, as well as heated debates in Switzerland. “Because foreign policy is domestic policy, even more so in our direct democracy than anywhere else.”
Is Switzerland firm enough?
The diplomat criticized the firmness of Switzerland. “Based on my experience, I cannot assume that Switzerland would defy pressure attempts in a delicate situation and uphold its principles.” As an example, he cited experiences with the abandonment of bank secrecy in 2009. Despite the clear legal situation, the Federal Council and Parliament had “bent” in view of the United States’ power play.
Still, Switzerland, as a small state, could make a difference at the UN. “The UN needs money and it needs ideas. We can offer both, ”Staehelin said.
Staehelin was in the service of the Swiss foreign department for several decades. He was ambassador to the Vatican and Japan. As a permanent observer at the United Nations in New York, he eventually became the first Swiss ambassador to the UN.
Switzerland has been a member of the United Nations since 2002. It is now running for a post as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2023/2024. The candidacy was approved in parliament nine years ago.
So far, Malta and Switzerland have been competing for the two temporary positions that will become vacant in the western regional group. Elected in June 2022. The five permanent members of the Security Council are the United States, China, Russia, France and Great Britain. (sda)
