Switzerland becomes 190th member of UN
After nearly two centuries of neutrality, Switzerland became the 190th member of the United Nations with the unanimous support of the General Assembly.
The admission of Switzerland yesterday was one of the first orders of business at the opening of the new session of the General Assembly.
Delegates burst into applause when the new assembly president, Czech foreign minister Jan Kavan, declared Switzerland the 190th member.
French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin, on behalf of Switzerland’s five neighbours, recommended its application for membership.
In a referendum in March, 55% of Swiss people voted in favour of UN membership, heeding a government campaign that said rejection would be disastrous for the country’s international standing and that neutrality had lost much of its meaning.
Swiss president Kaspar Villiger said his country’s entry into the UN would not compromise its traditional neutrality, a stance many Swiss considered irrelevant following the end of the Cold War.
“We can be neutral and be a good member of the United Nations,” said Villiger, adding that he thought the 45% who voted against entry to the UN will have changed their minds within five years.
Switzerland’s mandate of neutrality dates back to at least 1815 and was written into the 1848 Swiss constitution.
