Swiss presidency of UN Security Council ‘works well’

Switzerland currently chairs the United Nations Security Council, the first time since becoming a full member of the UN in 2002. “It works well,” declared Swiss President Alain Berset, who is in New York for talks. "The presence of Switzerland at the Security Council is self-evident,” Berset told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday. It allows a “different approach” in talks, he declared. Berset is in New York this week to chair various discussions during Switzerland’s monthlong presidency. + Read more about the Swiss presidency of the UN On Tuesday, he led a Security Council debate on protecting civilians in armed conflict – one of four thematic priorities for Switzerland’s two-year term as a non-permanent member of the council. The international community has a duty to protect civilians during conflict, Berset insisted. “We have the instruments, the need to act is recognised and the direction in which to go is recognised,” he told reporters in New York. But what is missing...