Switzerland chairs UN meeting on Zaporizhzhia nuclear risks
Fighting in the region of Zaporizhzhia continues, as this photo from May 8 shows.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
A UN Security Council meeting, chaired by Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, has discussed the precarious situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/Reuters/dos
Português
pt
Suíça preside reunião da ONU sobre usina nuclear de Zaporizhzhia
The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, told the Council on Tuesday that “the nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant […] continues to be extremely fragile and dangerous”.
“Military activities continue in the region and may well increase very considerably in the near future,” he said.
Grossi has tried for months to craft an agreement to reduce the risk of a catastrophic accident from military activity like shelling at the plant in southern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Russia for more than a year.
His five-principle plan stipulates that there should be no attack on or from the plant and that no heavy weapons such as multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems and munitions, and tanks or military personnel be housed there.
While Russia said it would do all it could to protect the power plant, it did not explicitly commit to abide by Grossi’s five principles. It also denies that it has military personnel at the power plant.
Duty to civilians
Cassis, who was chairing the meeting as part of Switzerland’s one-month presidency of the Security Council, said Switzerland welcomes the IAEA’s ongoing commitment to protecting civilian nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
“We are all aware of the risks to civilians when a nuclear power plant is located in a war zone. It is our duty to protect civilians,” Cassis said.
“We are discussing a pragmatic and targeted approach here. I am convinced that this is an important contribution in this crisis situation.”
During the session, Switzerland also reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and any attacks on civilian infrastructure. Switzerland also again called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
How centuries of Swiss emigrants left their mark on the US
What can be done to protect biodiversity in your country?
Swiss voters are set to decide on a people’s initiative calling for better protection of ecosystems in the country. Have your say on the September 22 vote.
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
Swiss government wants to ban Hamas from Switzerland for five years
This content was published on
The Swiss government has submitted to parliament its proposal to ban Palestinian militant group Hamas from Switzerland for five years.
Swiss retirement and nursing homes to become more crisis-proof
This content was published on
With a view to future pandemics and crises, the Swiss government wants to focus more on older people in care and retirement homes as well as young people.
Swiss insurers significantly increased profit in 2023
This content was published on
The aggregated annual profits of the insurance companies supervised by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) climbed by 78% to CHF13.6 billion.
Content of voting booklet found to often decide Swiss votes
This content was published on
The content of the voting booklet makes a difference of more than 15 percentage points on voting behaviour and hence voting results, according to a survey. This percentage is almost always decisive.
Three snow leopards born in Basel, one of whom didn’t survive
This content was published on
Three snow leopard cubs were born at Basel Zoo in early summer. One of them, however, did not survive more than two months.
This content was published on
The Swiss stock market came under significant pressure in early trading on Wednesday. The gloomy mood on Wall Street from the previous day spilled over onto the local stock market.
This content was published on
Erwin Sperisen, the former head of Guatemala's national civil police, is demanding CHF8 million in compensation from the state of Geneva.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.