Kindgo
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SEPTEMBER 09, 14:26 ET
http://wire.ap.org/?SLUG=SWITZERLAND%2dUN
By CLARE NULLIS
Associated Press Writer
GENEVA (AP) — Handing out chocolate and special-issue Swatches, the Swiss kicked off ceremonies Monday to end decades of splendid isolation and follow the rest of the world into the United Nations.
But in a final gesture of independence, they made it clear they would not change their flag.
The U.N. General Assembly is expected to formally admit Switzerland as its 190th member during a ceremony in New York Tuesday. To the accompaniment of the Swiss Army Band, the country's flag — a white cross on red background — will then be hoisted to flutter as a lone square among the sea of rectangles.
``Finally Switzerland will be at home as a member of the U.N. family,'' declared Bertrand Louis, ambassador to U.N. offices in Geneva.
``When the Swiss delegation steps down from his observer seat to join the main U.N. body, it will be a big step. It will be a step out of the shadows.''
After more than 50 years on the sidelines, Switzerland joined the United Nations after voters approved the move in March by a 55 percent majority.
In the last vote 16 years earlier, 75 percent opposed U.N. membership on the grounds it would endanger the Alpine nation's revered neutrality in an era of acute East-West tensions.
This time around, the electorate heeded a government campaign that a rejection would be disastrous for the country's international standing and that traditional neutrality was irrelevant given the end of the Cold War.
Switzerland will be sandwiched between Sweden and Syria on the U.N.'s alphabetical list. Switzerland's membership leaves the Vatican as the only state with U.N. observer status.
Falling on the eve of the anniversary of Sept. 11, Switzerland's membership ceremony will be low-key. Undeterred, the Swiss have made elaborate preparations to broadcast the proceedings live on a big screen in downtown Geneva.
Media reports say gifts of Swiss chocolate and Swatch watches emblazoned with the national flag will be given to guests at a diplomatic reception in New York.
To the relief of the Swiss, there will be no flag flap.
U.N. rules stipulate that all flags must be rectangular, but the Swiss flag is unashamedly square. Legal experts studied U.N. protocol and found a clause stating that national laws prevail over the international norm in case of disagreement — a similar loophole used for Nepal's flag, which consists of two stacked triangles.
However, Switzerland agreed to reduce the size of its flag so it will not be larger than emblems like the Stars and Stripes.
``Our flag is square,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Daniel Haener said. ``We are sticking to our law. But it's not a big problem and it doesn't change the world.''
Swiss President Kasper Villiger — who voted against membership in 1986 — will head the Swiss delegation to New York, bringing along Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss.
Last year, Deiss watched gloomily from the observer seats, sandwiched between the Vatican and the Palestinian delegation, as other ministers took to the stage to condemn terrorism.
Switzerland's membership actually will not change much. The country already is an active member of specialized agencies like the World Health Organization, International Labor Organization and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
The government says membership should cost an extra $42 million a year — on top of the $330 million it already pays to international organizations — compared with the $1.8 billion a year generated annually by the presence of the U.N.'s European headquarters in Geneva.
Just as Switzerland enters the fold, Geneva's host city role is being marginalized. Instead of hosting important peace talks and summits, the tranquil Swiss city instead has become a hub for technical meetings with little public interest.
Monday's calendar included a meeting of the Working Group on Global Mercury Assessment, the Business and Technical Standards Forum and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Still, for U.N. enthusiasts, it was a momentous day.
Hans Erni, Switzerland's best-known artist, said he devoted most of his career to works upholding the ideals of the United Nations. His 1985 painting ``Step Toward the United Nations,'' which featured a girl emerging from a shell, spearheaded the failed campaign to join the world body.
``I've always had the impression we were ready to leave our shell and our provinciality,'' the 93-year-old Erni said at an exhibition of his works at the U.N. compound in Geneva.
``This is a moment I awaited for years and years.''
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Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
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