Micheline Calmy-Rey: Switzerland looks to int'l role

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 02/08/2007 4:58 PM  |  Life

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

At the age of 62, visiting Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey looks much younger and more energetic than most people her age.

Calmy-Rey, who arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday for a four-day state visit, is the architect of bold changes in her country's foreign policy.

For a long time, Switzerland, a land-locked but majestically scenic country of 7.5 million, has maintained a low profile in international affairs.

Now Calmy-Rey, who also serves as Switzerland's foreign minister, wants to raise her country's role in international politics, commensurate with its economic clout as one of the biggest investors and donor countries.

The salient features of this policy are peace promotion, respect for international laws, human rights and fighting against poverty. The ultimate purpose of her so-called ""active neutral"" policy is to ensure security and well-being for all Swiss citizens, including those residing abroad, and her visit to Indonesia is part of this active neutral policy.

During her state visit, Calmy-Rey is scheduled to hold talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other government officials. High on the agenda is cementing the already strong partnership between small but rich Switzerland and Indonesia, which has the biggest economy in Southeast Asia. This partnership is seen as particularly important with Asia poised to become the new strategic center of gravity in global politics and the global economy.

A daughter of a train driver, Calmy-Rey has climbed up the national leadership ladder to become one of the country's most popular politicians, thanks to her intelligence, toughness and extraordinary leadership qualities.

She took over the rotating and non-executive Swiss presidency on Jan. 1, 2007, from fellow Social Democrat Moritz Leuenberger, making her the second Swiss woman president. The first was Ruth Dreifuss in 1999. The election of Calmy-Rey as president of the Swiss Confederation was a landmark achievement for Swiss women, who only attained their voting rights in 1971.

Born July 8, 1945, in Chermignon, the canton of Valais, Calmy-Rey has come a long way since she ran a book distribution business in a French speaking region until 1997.

Calmy-Rey, who has a degree in political science from the prestigious Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, is not only a popular politician but also a housewife, mother of two and grandmother of three. When studying, she worked as a bookkeeper for a construction company.

With her humble background, Calmy-Rey was attracted to the Socialist Party of Geneva in 1979. Since joining, she has never looked back.

During her more than two decades in politics, Calmy-Rey has introduced various new ways and means to enhance the performance of whichever office she has been in. And she says that her gender is not a problem but an asset.

""The world cannot afford to do without the female perspective on life and female creativity in finding sustainable solutions,"" Calmy-Rey used to say.

Seven years after joining the Socialist Party, Calmy-Rey became chairwoman of the party's Geneva branch. She also held several positions in the government and regional parliaments.

Initially, Calmy-Rey had a special interest in public finance. She completely restructured the Genevacantonial (provincial) administration when she headed it from 1998 to 2001.

Another success was restructuring the Cantonial Bank of Geneva, which was burdened by non-performing loans.

In 2003, Calmy-Rey was elected as a Federal Councillor and became the Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, or the Foreign Minister. Last year, she hold the position of Vice President of the Swiss Confederation.

As the country's top diplomat, Calmy-Rey brought revolutionary changes to Swiss foreign policy, introducing the so-called active neutrality.

""Public diplomacy involves replacing the usual tact that permeates negotiations between governments of international treaties with a transparent method of getting one's position across by exerting pressure,"" she said in a speech 100 days after becoming foreign minister.

Some of her diplomatic moves, aimed at raising the profile of Swiss diplomacy, including the Geneva Accord to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict and a call for UN reforms and independence for Kosovo, raised eyebrows among some Swiss politicians.

Critics of Calmy-Rey consider her moves often too vocal and in violation of Swiss neutrality. For example, many were upset when Calmy-Rey said Israeli operations were ""disproportionate compared with their aims"". She also criticized both the U.S. and the European Union for their approach to solving the problems in the Middle East.

But in Switzerland, the people are the ultimate judge. Her boldness, outspokenness and ambitious ideas have earned her a huge degree of popularity and made her the public's favorite politician.

She visualized her plans and ambitions for her country in this recent quote.

""I don't want us to build a wall around Switzerland. I would like to see a Switzerland that knows what it wants and what it is capable of and that is not afraid of talking to and negotiating with its neighbors.

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