Trade between Switzerland and the Republic of Korea - 50 Years ...

Interview with Major General Urs Gerber,Head of the Swiss Delegation to the NNSCMajor General Urs Gerber, Head of the Swiss Delegationto the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) since February 2012.Major General Gerber, you took over the Swiss Delegation to the NNSC on February 21, 2012. How doyou feel after heading the Swiss mission for the first few months?Before coming to Korea my expectations were pretty high. After a couple of months, I feel theseexpectations to be outmatched. Our mission and tasks are challenging and very interesting. Ihave been extremely well received by all partners and consider it a privilege to live in this vibrantcountry full of friendly people. I have got the distinct impression that Switzerland and particularlyour delegation is highly appreciated in the Republic of Korea.Could you describe to our readers the daily life of a Swiss General stationed in the midst of theDemilitarized Zone (DMZ)?First of all, it is anything but dull as people might expect. Apart from routine but still important meetings in the framework ofthe Armistice Agreement, there are a lot of encounters with distinguished visitors from all over the world, such as the recentvisit of our Federal Councillor and Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, who was in the Republic of Korea for the NuclearSecurity Summit. So far, I have spent only about half of my time in the DMZ as other tasks of the NNSC require activitiesthroughout the territory of the Republic of Korea. Particularly during the Joint ROK-U.S. exercise series, the NNSC wasactively implementing its duties of observation, inspection and supervision under the Armistice Agreement.41The NNSC also fulfills tasks with regards to the military activities of the armed forces of the Republic of Korea, such as when itparticipated in the investigation of the 2010 sinking of the ROKS Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. Is there any chanceto gain even greater room for maneuver for the Swiss mission under your command during the next three years?42Swiss NNSC Change of command on February 21, 2012:(from right to left) incoming Swiss Major General Urs Gerber during the honor guard ceremony with General James D. Thurman,United Nations Command/U.S. Forces Korea commander and outgoing Swiss Major General Jean-Jacques Joss © USFKFirstly, it is important to note that the Swiss delegation is an integral part of the NNSC together with the Swedish delegationwith which we keep outstanding relations and interaction. Secondly, the NNSC has a clear mandate through the ArmisticeAgreement. Hence, there is no such thing as any unilateral activity of a Swiss general. Within the framework of the existingmissions and tasks, there is certainly room for improvement but hardly for extension or maneuver, not least given our currenthuman resources. With a total of only 10 NNSC officers, your options are limited. If, however, new tasks based on militarypoliticaldevelopments on the Korean Peninsula would be required, we stand ready to take up new challenges givensufficient resources.How important is the Swiss contribution in the form of the NNSC mission to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula?All my U.S. and Korean partners on flag or general officer-level reiterate the importance of the NNSC’s and thus Switzerland’scontribution to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. It is certainly more important than simply symbolic. There issymbolism in it, as the armistice mandate is not executive in nature and given the limited access after North Korea endedits cooperation with the NNSC in 1995. Nevertheless, by fully implementing the armistice provisions - indeed it has beenreinforcing them - the NNSC actively contributes to fostering transparency and confidence, at least south of the 38th parallel.This is probably also noticed to the north of it.