Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Switzerland, Discreet Mediator Between The US And Cuba

Switzerland, Discreet Mediator Between The US And Cuba / 14ymedio
Posted on August 5, 2015

14ymedio, Havana, 4 August 2015 – For 54 years Switzerland has acted as
a mediator between Washington and Havana, representing the interests of
each of the two countries before the other. The restoration of
diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, officially
the reopening of respective embassies on 20 July, has put an end to the
commission that the European country formally accepted in 1961, when US
President Dwight Eisenhower broke ties with the island.

Switzerland did not simply assume the bureaucratic tasks, according to
historians who have begun to analyze the file, and who highlight the
crucial role played in times of extreme stress, such as the missile crisis.

Documents kept in Swiss archives reveal that the Cuban government tried
to nationalize the headquarters building of the US representation in
Havana in 1964 to turn it into the Ministry of Fisheries. The Swiss
ambassador in Cuba, Emil Stadelhofer, persuaded the government of Fidel
Castro to abandon the plan.

The diplomat had to intervene personally on several occasions, as on
February 2 of that year, when the US Coast Guard stopped four Cuban
fishing boats and Havana responded by cutting the water supply to the
American naval base at Guantanamo.

Switzerland played a crucial role in times of extreme stress such as the
missile crisis

"Stadelhofer drew a red line," says the current Swiss ambassador to the
US, Martin Dahinden, in remarks Monday on the website of the magazine
Foreign Policy. "If he had not been in the right place at the right
time, things would have been different," he says.

When President Eisenhower first asked Switzerland to represent the
United States to Cuba, in 1960, it was a complete surprise to the
European country, as revealed by historical documents, "mainly due to
the size of its diplomatic mission, very small compared to delegations
such as the United Kingdom." However, its experience prevailed, such as
that as a powerful protectorate of foreign governments, dating back to
1870, during the Franco-Prussian War.

After accepting the job, Switzerland sent a team of nine people to the
island to replace the 60 members of the US diplomatic corps. Ambassador
Stadelhofer, according to the files, maintained a close personal
relationship with President Fidel Castro and could access him at any time.

It was the Swiss ambassador who managed to get Cuba to authorize US
planes to fly over the island after the missile crisis of 1962.
Stadelhofer was also responsible for facilitating the movement of
refugees from the island to the US in September 1965, when thousands of
Cubans jumped into the sea on rickety boats after Havana allowed "all
those who wished" to leave the country.

In 1977, Washington and Havana agreed to the opening of a United States
Interests Section in Cuba. Even after the return of part of the US
diplomatic staff to the island, the Swiss flag continued to wave outside
the building, until July 20.

The Secretary of State of the United States, John Kerry, has invited the
head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Didier
Burkhalter, to the official opening of the US Embassy in Havana that
will take place on August 14.

Switzerland is currently in charge of representing the United States in
Iran, Georgia in Russia, Russia in Georgia, and Iran in Egypt.

Source: Switzerland, Discreet Mediator Between The US And Cuba /
14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/switzerland-discreet-mediator/

No comments:

Post a Comment