Posted on 10/29/2005 6:57:32 PM PDT by HAL9000
Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey is holding talks in the Middle East on a new emblem for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.On Saturday she met her Egyptian counterpart and the president of the country's first aid service, before travelling to Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon.
The three-day whirlwind tour of Calmy-Rey is part of efforts by Switzerland - the depositary state of the Geneva Conventions - to find a new humanitarian emblem.
Switzerland aims to host a diplomatic conference before the end of the year, which would allow Israel's first aid service, Magen David Adom, to be globally recognised.
The Israeli society is insisting on its emblem ? a red Star of David. It refuses to operate under either of the two emblems currently used and recognised by the Movement: the cross and the crescent.
Calmy-Rey held talks with the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Abul Gheit and Suzanne Mubarak, the president's wife and head of Egypt's Red Crescent Society.
The meeting in Cairo passed off in a constructive atmosphere, a Swiss foreign ministry spokesman said.
On Sunday Calmy-Rey is due in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, before travelling to Lebanon on Monday for talks on the issue.
Condemnation of Iran
In a separate development, Switzerland has condemned comments by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling for Israel's annihilation.
It is unacceptable for a member state of the United Nations to call for the destruction of another member state, a statement on Friday said.
The foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to Switzerland for an explanation.
Many other European countries took similar steps and the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, rebuked Teheran for the comments.
I wrote off the Red Cross and The United Way about 30 years ago. Ergo, I really don't shiv a git what they do.
LOL! That is painfully true!
THE PERFECT SYMBOL!!
Greets Hal. Why don't they just cut through all the crap and just use the swastika as their symbol. Maybe the mooslems will accept it then.
How about a nice kind of a neutral curvy thing with pointy ends. They could keep the color.
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