Humanitarian law “not an à la carte right”: Swiss foreign minister

Cassis: humanitarian law "cannot be an à la carte right". Keystone-SDA

The Geneva Conventions are not "an à la carte right" to pick and choose only when they are convenient, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said in a speech on Monday. Cassis called for countries to send a "political signal" and to "set an example" in an increasingly turbulent world.

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United Nations Security Council members, with the exception of Russia, are in Geneva for an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.

From Sudan to the Middle East, via Ukraine and Yemen, “international humanitarian law is being severely tested”, said Cassis. The 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions provides an “opportunity to reaffirm our common responsibilities” with regard to an agreement that has saved “millions of people”.

His counterpart from Sierra Leone, Timothy Musa Kabba, whose country holds the Security Council presidency for August, recalled that he had been a child soldier. “I would not be the person I am without the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the international community”, he said.

Among the 15 members of the Council, Russia, which is at odds with Bern over Ukraine, declined the invitation, considering it “a waste of time”.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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