Geneva marks half a century of peacemaking
Swiss and foreign officials are gathering in Geneva this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the French-Indochina War.
A series of debates and a new book are offering an in-depth look at the city’s evolution as a platform for peace and the changing nature of Swiss neutrality.
“In the spring of 1954, everyone feared a third world war involving nuclear weapons,” said Guy Mettan, whose historical account of the period, entitled “Genève: Ville de Paix” (“Geneva: City of Peace”), was published last week.
“French and Viet Minh troops [independence fighters] had been fighting since 1946 and Indochina was one of the hot spots of the Cold War… so it was crucial to reach an accord,” he told swissinfo.
Tumultuous time
On April 26, 1954, the world held its breath as American, British, Chinese, French, Korean, Soviet and Vietnamese officials began holding talks in Switzerland that would eventually pave the way for Vietnam’s decolonisation.
Three months later, in the early hours of July 21, the so-called “Geneva Agreements on Indochina” were signed, firmly placing Geneva on the map as a centre for international cooperation and exchange.
The impact of those negotiations and their geopolitical context is the subject of an international debate involving Swiss and foreign officials taking place in Geneva on Tuesday.
“Considering the political climate of the time, it was a major coup for Switzerland to host the negotiations and lend a hand in reaching a successful outcome,” said Mettan.
The mayor of Geneva, Christian Ferrazino, points out that these events signalled a détente in international relations between Eastern and Western powers.
“This period really marked Switzerland’s return to the international stage,” Ferrazino writes in the introduction to Mettan’s book. “It also led to the first summit between the leaders of France, the Soviet Union, the United Sates and Britain in 1955.
“Today, Geneva has become a truly international city and is increasingly being used as a springboard for dialogue.”
Thawing relations
Mettan also credits the talks for helping Switzerland re-establish its diplomatic legitimacy and cherished neutrality in the aftermath of the Second World War.
“Switzerland was heavily criticised by the US for not joining the Western forces in defeating the Nazis,” he explained. “And our neutrality was widely criticised as a veiled form of laziness.
“What’s more, Swiss diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union had been frozen since the Russian Revolution in 1917, so the Indochina negotiations really allowed Switzerland to stop being so isolated.”
Since 1955, Switzerland has played host to numerous high profile summits, including talks between former US President Ronald Reagan and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev, in 1985.
It was also the site of a tête-à-tête between the former US president, Bill Clinton, and the late Syrian leader, Hafez Assad, in 2000.
Last year, Geneva hosted the first phase of the UN-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society and saw the launch of an unofficial peace plan for the Middle East.
Most recently, the German-speaking resort of Bürgenstock, near Lucerne, served as the backdrop for UN-backed talks on the future of Cyprus.
Neutral haven
According to Mettan, these initiatives signal a new need and appreciation for Swiss neutrality, amid the instability of a political landscape shaped by the war on terror.
“After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Swiss suffered a crisis of confidence over their role as a peacemaker and their role in Europe,” he said.
“But now leaders again feel the need to have a neutral, small and safe corner of the world where they can meet.”
Mettan also believes that Switzerland’s non-colonial past, along with its size, make it attractive to world powers and developing nations alike.
“Switzerland isn’t trying to influence world decisions in the same way as the US, Britain, Germany or France,” he told swissinfo.
“We’re not into making power plays and so we’re non-threatening.”
swissinfo, Anna Nelson in Geneva
The so-called “Geneva Agreements on Indochina” were signed in Geneva on July 21, 1954, following three months of intense negotiations.
The peace accord brought an end to almost ten years of fighting between the Communist-backed Viet Minh and French troops, who began withdrawing from Vietnam.
The agreement paved the way for Vietnam’s decolonisation and helped thaw tense international relations.
It also placed Geneva on the map as a centre for peacemaking.
It was brokered by Pierre Mendès-France (France), Pham Van Dong (Vietnam), Chou En-Lai (China), John Foster Dulles (US), Viatcheslav Molotov (USSR) and Anthony Eden (Britain).
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