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Swiss Voters Agree to Join UN VOA News 3 Mar 2002 14:42 UTC 
Switzerland has narrowly approved a government-backed proposal to join the United Nations.
Preliminary results show the proposal was backed by some 55 percent of Swiss voters nationwide. But the approval by the country's 23 cantons received a narrower 12-11 result.
The referendum on changing Switzerland's centuries-old tradition of political isolationism was seen as too close to call.
In urging a "yes" vote, the government said that staying out of the world body denies Switzerland a full role in global affairs and jeopardizes its position as an international monitor.
Opponents said U.N. membership would undermine the country's sovereignty by forcing it to submit to the will of the U.N. Security Council.
Last March, Swiss citizens overwhelmingly voted down a proposal to enter into membership talks with the European Union.
Switzerland has long been a dues-paying member of some U.N. specialized agencies, such as the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization. The country also hosts the European headquarters of the United Nations and eight of its agencies. But along with the Vatican, it remains an observer state in the 189-member U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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