MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2023) The National Council of Switzerland, the country's lower house, has rejected the initiative to allow the re-export of military material to Ukraine, local media reported Thursday.
Swiss lawmakers rejected the initiative, also known as Lex Ukrainе, in a 98-to-74 vote, Swiss newspaper Le Matin reported.
The initiative was put forward by the Security Policy Committees of the Swiss Council of States seeking "a more effective application of international law and the granting of greater discretion in our policy of neutrality."
Opponents of the initiative within the committee said neutrality obliges Switzerland not to take part in conflicts, not to supply arms to warring parties, and not to give preference to one of the sides.
In mid-May, Committee Secretary Pierre-Yves Breuleux told Sputnik that the committee could not confirm whether the amendments to the law on Swiss arms re-export, which were under consideration, would apply to Ukraine, adding that the amendments could not be approved by the parliament until spring 2024.
The secretary noted that practical legislative work was expected to begin at the end of June. The amendments are not retroactive at the moment, but the new document specifies that declarations of non-re-export would be considered invalid if they were signed by certain countries more than five years before the amendment went into effect, he added.
The parliamentary initiative stipulates that countries purchasing equipment from Switzerland would still have to sign a declaration of non-re-export, but the period could be limited to five years. Re-export would be possible only for destination countries that do not violate human rights and do not use weapons against civilians. Re-export to a country at war would be possible in the event of the United Nations Security Council or a two-thirds majority of the UN General Assembly sanctioning a violation of international law.
In May, Swiss Permanent Representative to the United Nations Pascale Baeriswyl said the re-export of Swiss arms to Ukraine was impossible without amending the law.
Switzerland has repeatedly rejected requests from Germany, Spain, and Denmark to re-export Swiss-made ammunition to Kiev, citing the nation's principle of military neutrality. According to Switzerland's authorities, Bern can refuse to re-export military materials if the country for which they are destined is involved in an international armed conflict.
