NATO HQ 13 juin 2003

Intervention by Secretary of State Philippe Welti, Swiss Federal Department for Defence, Protection of Population and Sports at the EAPC at the level of Defence Ministers Brussels Panel 1: The Partnership’s role in addressing the new security challenges Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to start by sharing with you a recent Swiss experience which shows the effectiveness of preparatory work in EAPC for countering new forms of risks and threats. As you all know, the G8 Summit took place in Evian-Les Bains, France, just a few km from the Swiss border. Switzerland got fully involved in the preparation and realization of all security and logistics support arrangements. The whole process also offered an excellent opportunity for Switzerland to test the new command and control structures of Armed Forces XXI, which will be in place by January 2004. Co-operation between Switzerland and the G8 host-nation France was extensive, both on the civilian and the military side. Particularly the control of air space and the control of the Lake of Geneva were conducted as true combined joint operation together with the French Forces. Finally, with the integration of a substantial German police force on the Swiss side, the security operation even became tri-lateral. As a result, the successful co-operation between Switzerland and two NATO members provided a secure and safe environment for the Heads of States, their numerous delegations and the media to gather and discuss the most challenging global issues. And beyond, this demanding operation proved the practical value of the “EAPC/PfP” as the crucial instrument for achieving interoperability. At the Prague Summit last autumn, the participating States agreed that the Partnership should move towards a broader approach to security. Switzerland fully supports this development, as asymmetrical threats can only be countered through enhanced co-operation and improved interoperability between security structures, including those beyond the responsibilities of Ministries of Defence. The interplay of military and civilian actors has to be effective not only at national but also at international level. Nowadays, no single State is anymore capable to ensure its security alone. And it is at these junctures where the EAPC/PfP with its unique comparative advantage in bringing together both military and civilian security actors in a multilateral framework may step in. In Switzerland’s view this strength of our Partnership should be further developed and could become particularly crucial to improve preparedness against attacks with Weapons of Mass Destruction and the related consequence management. Furthermore – and Switzerland has been introducing suggestions to that end –, the Partnership should play a stronger role in assisting ongoing reform processes towards efficient, transparent and democratically controlled security structures. Peace Support Operations will continue to play an important role to address new security challenges. The Partnership allows to prepare for and to conduct operations in critical and unstable situations which often provide a breeding ground for organised crime, trafficking, extremism and even terrorism. Peace Support Operations thus not only have a stabilising but also an important preventive function. Further enhancing our PSO interoperability must therefore remain a core task of the Partnership.