“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.”
More
More
Values and weapons, Switzerland delivers both
This content was published on
Swiss peace brokering and Swiss weapons in the world’s wars are uncomfortable bedfellows. We take a closer look at the issue.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
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.
Read more
More
Swiss arms exports still at odds with humanitarian tradition
This content was published on
A Swiss historian explains how the "arms exports versus humanitarian tradition" paradox has been a recurrent theme since the First World War.
Loopholes allow Swiss weapons producers to massage export rules
This content was published on
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
This content was published on
Swiss weapons are being used by Saudi soldiers in the Yemen conflict, SonntagsBlick has said. It has backed up its allegations with a photo.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.