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76.

ADDRESS
TO THE PRESIDENT OF SWITZERLAND MR. OGI

22 March 2000

1. First of all, I would like to express the gratitude of all of us to you,

Mr.President, for what Switzerland as the host country has been doing
for the normal functioning of the international community in Geneva,
the second largest UN center in the world.

2. For the United Nations, Switzerland is not just a host country. It has
been and continues to be our good partner and supporter.

From the active participation in the League of Nations, to the involvement
in UN affairs, the name of your country is inseparably linked with the promo-
tion of peace, humanitarism and the rule of law among nations. Switzerland
occupies now 6th place among voluntary contributors to UN Programs and
participates in activities dealing with humanitarian assistance and sustainable
development. In 1996 Switzerland joined the Conference on Disarmament and
immediately established itself as one of its most active members. Moreover,
one cannot but note with satisfaction the excellent performance of the Swiss
Military in Peace-keeping Operations, most recently in KFOR. To this I would
add an important contribution that Switzerland has made to peace building in
Bosnia and in Kosovo.

We are especially grateful to you, Mr. President, for your sponsorship in
creating the Center for Security Policy and the Demining center.

Unfortunately, due to the absence of Switzerland in the United Nations,
the possibility of raising its voice and contributing its intellectual and historic

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