“There is no longer sufficient political and parliamentary support for the reform,” the cabinet spokesman told a news conference on Wednesday.
He added that the government was also concerned that insisting on eased rules for the export of war materiel would have negative repercussions.
In June, the government announced plans to ease export restrictions, allowing Swiss arms companies to sell weapons to countries as long as the arms are not used in an internal civil war.
The announcement triggered a storm of protest. A cross-party group said it would launch a people’s initiative to stop exports of war materiel, and moves are underway in parliament to have a say on such sales.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also appealed to Swiss politicians not to ease the restrictions.
However, representatives of the Swiss armament industry came out in favour.
Wednesday’s decision comes shortly after Economics Ministers Johann Schneider-Ammann said in an an interview with the newspapers, Tribune de Genève and the 24 Heures, that his ministry agreed it was “neither realistic nor intelligent to push ahead with liberalising the [weapons export] procedure at this stage.”
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Swiss arms exports still at odds with humanitarian tradition
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Loopholes allow Swiss weapons producers to massage export rules
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In June, the government proposed allowing weapons to be exported to countries in the throes of internal conflict provided it could be established that they would not be used by warring parties. The FAO says it is currently possible to sidestep existing restrictions using perfectly legal measures. One such loophole is a provision that allows…
Media: Saudi soldiers said to be using Swiss arms in Yemen conflict
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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.