Switzerland's UN debate

By Emma Jane Kirby BBC Geneva Correspondent

Pierre Schifferli sits at his desk in a plush office in Geneva's old town.

He is a partner in a big firm of lawyers whose clients come from all over the world and he speaks three languages fluently.

What would membership give us?... Switzerland would just be swallowed up

Pierre Schifferli

He is not exactly the sort of man you'd expect to be opposed to joining an international body like the United Nations.

But Mr Schifferli, a member of the right-wing People's Party, is bitterly opposed to Switzerland's accession and as Switzerland went to the polls to cast their votes on the initiative, Mr Schifferli will have had no hesitation in voting "No".

"History teaches us to be careful and not to join big alliances, especially military alliances and we have watched the United Nations develop more and more as a military organisation.

"More and more military operations are conducted by the US and its allies under the umbrella of the UN.

"When Mr Bush says we are good and the other side is evil, and everyone has to be with us otherwise you are against us, I say, sorry, we are neutral and this has to be acknowledged."

Question of influence

The People's Party made neutrality their key argument in the referendum campaign.

Now that the Cold War is over, there is no reason that Switzerland should not vote yes to UN membership

Francois Nordmann
Swiss ambassador to the UN

It warned voters that if the country became a full member of the UN, it would mean its traditional stance of neutrality would be compromised - in the event of Swiss troops being asked to be part of peacekeeping forces or asked by the Security Council to take up arms in foreign conflicts.

Pierre Schifferli also claims that by entering the UN, Switzerland would lose any power it currently has in the organisation.

"We contribute around $300m to the UN, but we choose where we want that money to go - to specialised aid agencies.

"Membership means we can no longer direct that money. And really, what would membership give us? A vote in the General Assembly.

"But the General Assembly has no real power, the Security Council has the power and it is dominated by the superpowers - Switzerland would just be swallowed up."

Government line

The Swiss Government made no bones during the campaign about the fact that it believed it was high time Switzerland joined the UN.

In 1986, not one of Switzerland's 26 states or cantons voted in favour of the initiative - in fact, 75% of voters rejected the plan.

"Geneva hosts the European Headquarters of the United Nations and yet its not even a member of the organisation - this is difficult for a lot of people in the international community to understand, " says Francois Nordmann, Swiss Ambassador to the United Nations.

"In 1986, Switzerland voted "No" in the referendum but the political circumstances were very different then.

"Now that the Cold War is over, there is no reason that Switzerland should not vote yes to UN membership."

International image

Supporters of the government say that Switzerland would have set itself up for international ridicule if it remained outside the UN.

At present it is almost the only state bar the Vatican not to be a member.

They deny that Switzerland's neutrality would be affected by membership, pointing out that no member country has ever been forced to take up arms before.

They argue that participation in the organisation will give them more diplomatic and politic force in the international field.

"A no vote will certainly be bad for the Swiss image," says Ambassador Nordmann.

"And I am concerned that it will mean that Geneva, which has long been a major international conference centre, will start to lose customers.

"Switzerland cannot be seen to be staying out of the world."