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Once again, the Federal Council has to wrestle with a sensitive foreign policy file. Once again, an EU state is demanding that Switzerland participate in the supply of arms to Ukraine. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (56) personally approached Federal President Alain Berset (51), writes the “Tages-Anzeiger”.
Rutte demands that Switzerland deliver the 96 old Leopard 1 main battle tanks to Ukraine. The Netherlands itself has supplied Ukraine with large quantities of heavy military equipment, including main battle tanks, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft systems. A spokesman for Berset declined to comment on this information. It just said, “We do not comment on bilateral contacts.”
The Netherlands wants to co-finance Leo 1 deal
The Leo 1 tanks have been owned by the federal arms company Ruag since 2016 and are currently stored in a depot in northern Italy. According to the “Tages-Anzeiger”, the plan is as follows: Ruag is going to sell the Leo 1 tanks to the German Rheinmetall group. He has to modernize them and then send them to the Ukraine. This is where Rutte comes into play. The Dutch government wants to partially finance the deal.
Only: Ruag must obtain a license from the federal government for this trade. A first informal preliminary investigation would have been rejected by Guy Parmelins (63) of the Department of Economics, Education and Research, according to the “Tages-Anzeiger”. However, Ruag did not want to be fobbed off with this. She has therefore filed an official sales application with the federal government.
Berset was critical of the “European Political Community” summit near the Moldovan capital Chisinau yesterday. “That should be discussed in the Bundesrat,” he said.
The Federal Council should have discussed the Leo 1 issue last week
Apparently, Parmelin wanted to take the Leopard 1 issue to the Bundesrat last week – at the same time as Defense Minister Viola Amherd (60) asked for the 25 Leopard 2 tanks to be phased out. Parmelin would have finally withdrawn the company for review, writes the “Tages-Anzeiger”. The Federal Council only made a decision on the Leopard 2 tanks, but not yet on the Leopard 1 tanks.
The Bundesrat decided last week by a score of 6 to 1 to clear the way for the resale of 25 Leopard 2 tanks to Germany. Only Transport Minister Albert Rösti opposed the deal. (Okay)
Source:Blick
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