The delaying tactics continue: the Federal Council does not want to ban nuclear weapons

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The Federal Council is in a dilemma. On the one hand, Parliament gave him a clear mandate in 2018: he must sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible. Switzerland agreed to this in 2017 at the UN General Assembly, together with 122 other countries.

On the other hand, the Federal Council wants to get closer to NATO. But the contract would prevent that. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (65) is said to have made this very clear to Federal Councilor Viola Amherd (61). All nuclear powers had opposed the ban, including NATO, which considers itself a “nuclear alliance.”

The Federal Council has therefore been postponing the decision for almost six years. The contract has not yet been signed.

Change of direction for the Federal Council not indicated

And it must remain that way. The Federal Council continues to refuse to sign the contract – thereby insulting Parliament. After a ‘new comprehensive interpretation’, the cabinet concluded on Wednesday that there is no reason for a repositioning in the current situation. A change in rate is not indicated at this time.

Accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is not in Switzerland’s interest in the current international environment, in which a new war in Europe has brought aspects of security policy back to the fore. And the Federal Council is not afraid to make excuses: it considers Switzerland’s commitment to a world without nuclear weapons in the context of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be more effective.

There is already a threat of a popular initiative

It is unlikely that this will go down well in parliament. A year ago, the National Council’s Foreign Policy Committee sent another letter to the state government reminding it of its obligations. The “Alliance for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” is also disappointed – and reminds us in its communication of plans for a corresponding popular initiative.

However, the Federal Council still considers the effect of the ban treaty to be limited because it is not recognized by nuclear weapons owners, but also by almost all Western and European countries. “A world without nuclear weapons can only be achieved with, and not against, the possessing states,” the Federal Council argues.

Switzerland will continue to demand that the affected states fulfill their disarmament obligations.

Source:Blick