Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council Brussels 8 Dec. 1998

Statement by Secretary of State Jakob Kellenberger The subject of future security challenges is a major concern in Switzerland today. My government plans to present a White Paper on security policy to Parliament next year. 'Security through co-operation' will be the leitmotiv of this Paper, which expresses our firm belief that only international co-operation can produce a credible answer to the risks and challenges of the future. The crisis in Kosovo - which is principally due to a systematic refusal to consider the demands of a minority group - is an example of one of the greatest recurrent risks. International collaboration is the only adequate tool for dealing with it. In this context, it is encouraging to see that international organisations are making good use of their comparative advantages. The verification mission entrusted to the OSCE and the air surveillance carried out by NATO have a common objective: compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1199. The OSCE's activities would not be possible without the security provided by the NATO Extraction Force. Similarly, it would be unimaginable to embark on the long process of establishing a sustainable and democratic solution without both the ongoing support of NATO and, on the civil side, of numerous other organisations. This co-operation between international organisations should be intensified. The EAPC and the PfP are already playing a specific role in the efforts of the international community to prevent and solve crises. Their strength lies in the military aspect of crisis management and of peace-keeping, as well as in their support to humanitarian actions and disaster relief. Switzerland attaches great importance to the EAPC, and hopes that it will expand its role as a forum of consultation in the future. We welcome and support NATO's initiatives to include an increasing number partners in activities which do not touch collective security. This will strengthen links between countries of the Euro-Atlantic community which share and defend the same values. In the future, my government intends to make more use of the possibilities offered by NATO to support international co-operation. Switzerland also intends to make use of the EAPC and PfP by continuing to contribute to selected areas. Firstly, it will further strengthen its activities in disseminating and in promoting international humanitarian law. In this vein it is planning some special events to mark the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions next year. Secondly, Switzerland will continue to offer its expertise in the field of civil-military relations. This will include hosting an EAPC workshop on the humanitarian aspects of peace-keeping to be held in Geneva soon, as well as holding seminars on co-ordinating disaster relief. And finally, Switzerland is keen to play an active role in the new consultations on the issue of small arms. The question of transparency in the small arms trade will be the subject of a meeting to be held in Switzerland in 1999 between representatives of governments and the arms industry. In the near future, NATO is to hold an important summit meeting in Washington to define a new strategic concept. The importance of this meeting for non-member states does not need to be pointed out. It is clear that the outline and contents of this strategy is the sole responsibility of the members of NATO. The new concept will no doubt address both the challenges which await us as we enter the twenty-first century and the way in which we - NATO members and partners alike - meet them. Given the consultative role of the EAPC in political and security-related issues, it seems advisable to allow partner countries to state their points of view in this major debate. An ad hoc meeting of the EAPC at ambassador level well ahead of the Washington summit could provide a suitable framework for achieving this.