スイス下院、自国製武器のウクライナ移転認めず

【ジュネーブＡＦＰ＝時事】スイスの国民議会（下院）は１日、他国が保有するスイス製の武器をウクライナに移転することを特例的に認める法案を否決した。同日には、両国の大統領がモルドバで会談し、人道・復興支援について協議していた。（写真は資料写真）
　議会の委員会が提出した法案は、反対９８票、賛成７５票で否決された。
　人口８８０万人で四方を他国に囲まれた内陸国スイスは、長年にわたり武装中立を維持。男性には兵役義務もある。だがウクライナ侵攻を受けて、中立方針の是非をめぐり激論が交わされてきた。
　スイスは欧州連合（ＥＵ）加盟国ではないものの、ＥＵと同様の制裁をロシアに科している。一方で、ウクライナや友好国から圧力を受けても、自国製兵器のウクライナ移転を許可することは拒否し続け、軍事的中立を貫いてきた。
　これまで、ドイツ、スペイン、デンマークなどが移転許可を直接的に要請してきたが、スイス側は、紛争当事国への兵器移転を禁じる戦争物資法を理由に拒否してきた。
　スイスのアラン・ベルセ大統領とウクライナのウォロディミル・ゼレンスキー大統領は１日、モルドバで開催された欧州政治共同体の会合に出席した。
　ベルセ氏はツイッターに「ゼレンスキー氏と、戦況やスイスの人道・復興支援に関する建設的な会談」を行ったと投稿した。国営放送ＲＴＳによると、会談は２５分間に及んだ。
　ベルセ氏はＲＴＳに対し、ゼレンスキー氏との会談では、ロシア側の凍結された資産や、スイスによる地雷除去支援、兵器の再輸出に関するスイスの方針などついて協議したと明かした。
　その上でベルセ氏は、「ウクライナ側はスイスの立ち位置と役割をよく理解してくれている」との考えを示すとともに、いつでもウクライナを訪問する用意があると述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/06/05-14:54）

Switzerland's lower house of parliament on Thursday voted against a proposal that would have specifically authorised the transfer of Swiss-made arms to Ukraine.
The vote in parliament came as Swiss President Alain Berset met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the European Political Community summit in Moldova, where the pair discussed the subject of exports of war material.
The National Council in Bern voted 98-75 against a parliamentary initiative put forward by a committee.
Jean-Luc Addor, of the populist, right-wing Swiss People's Party -- the largest in the National Council -- said in the Council that accepting this initiative means committing to one of the protagonists, which is also in its very title (Lex Ukraine). Therefore violating neutrality.
Switzerland's long-standing position has been one of well-armed military neutrality and the landlocked country of 8.8 million people has mandatory conscription for men.
The issue of Switzerland's tradition of neutrality has been hotly debated since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While the wealthy Alpine country, which is not a member of the European Union, has followed the bloc's lead on sanctions targeting Moscow, it has so far shown less flexibility on its military neutrality.
Despite pressure from Kyiv and its allies, Switzerland has so far refused to allow countries that hold Swiss-made weaponry to re-export it to Ukraine.
To date, it has rejected explicit requests from countries including Germany, Spain and Denmark, pointing to its War Materiel Act, which bars all re-export if the recipient country is in an international armed conflict.
At the summit in Moldova, Kyiv and Chisinau pressed European leaders for more support against Russian aggression.
Berset said on Twitter that he had a productive meeting with Zelensky about the situation on the ground, Swiss humanitarian aid and reconstruction.
Swiss national broadcaster RTS said the meeting lasted for 25 minutes.
They also discussed blocked assets, Switzerland's role in mine clearance, and the country's position on re-exporting arms, Berset told RTS.
I believe that the position and the role of Switzerland are very well understood by the Ukrainians, Berset said, adding that he was ready to go to Ukraine at any time.
We are applying our law. We have shown from the start that we were not indifferent to what was happening, we were strongly committed alongside Ukraine.
Today, the most important thing is to be united, not to tolerate what is happening in eastern Ukraine and that one country is marching on another.