Choice of Madrid Stuns Swiss City
Lausanne reacted with surprise and anger Friday to news that Madrid is to host the Middle East peace conference.
The decision, coming after weeks of preparation for an event Lausanne hoped would boost its own prestige, stunned the lakeside tourist city.
“Madrid? It feels like April Fools’ Day. We’ve really been conned,” said one hotel owner.
Lausanne had been seen as the strongest candidate because of Israeli objections to meeting in nearby Geneva. Two other Swiss cities, Lucerne and Montreux, had also been mentioned as candidates, along with The Hague and Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Even among local residents, however, there had been skepticism about whether this quiet city could cope with the security demands of a full-scale Middle East peace conference and a possible U.S.-Soviet summit.
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