Madrid, Spain 4 June 2003

Statement by State Secretary Franz von Däniken, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The last few days were not quite usual for Switzerland. The G8 summit meeting hosted by France in Evian-les-Bains, only a few kilometres from the Swiss border, was a serious security challenge and it became a test case for our concept of "Security through cooperation". Not being a member of NATO has not prevented us from cooperating extensively with France, both on the civilian and the military side. In support of police, our forces on the ground and in the air - altogether almost 6000 troops - provided the protection of the many thousand participants to the summit. They also ensured that the local population was affected as little as possible by any inconveniences related to this event. Moreover, we could count on a substantial support by German police forces, which proved to be an invaluable aid in reinforcing their colleagues from Geneva. A lot of what we have applied over the past few days was drawn on lessons learnt within the EAPC/PfP framework, particularly with regard to civil-military cooperation and joint & combined operation. As to the topic of "Democratic Transformation and its Contribution to Stability in the Euro-Atlantic Area", Switzerland shares a comprehensive understanding of security and the firm conviction that political pluralism, a functioning market economy and a thriving civil society are key factors underlying stability. It widens our focus from international to domestic security concerns. Building on experience in defence reform, security sector reform could assert itself further as a field of choice for EAPC/PfP involvement. Switzerland is fully committed to implementing the Action Plan Against Terrorism. Switzerland welcomes the broad approach underlying the Action Plan, focusing on prevention, repression as well as on disaster relief. Switzerland has been deploying for several years many efforts to effectively protect its financial centre from criminal activities. Swiss legislation to combat terrorism explicitly orders the blocking of funds used for the financing of terrorism. Banking secrecy is no obstacle to fighting terrorism, nor any other crime. Switzerland also regards EAPC/PfP as an appropriate framework for further enhancing the knowledge of international humanitarian law within the armed forces. It can deepen mutual understanding on the respective roles of military and humanitarian actors in conflict and post-conflict situations. [Switzerland is currently establishing an internet platform for the dissemination of key texts and training material on international humanitarian law. This website is expected to be operational by the end of this year.] Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Partnership for Peace and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council remain important instruments of our security policy. We are committed to further strengthening EAPC/PfP and we count on your continuing support to the Partnership beyond the forthcoming NATO enlargement.