Switzerland's weapon exports were worth a total of 722 million Swiss francs (477 million euros, 714 million dollars) in 2008.
Switzerland's weapon exports were worth a total of 722 million Swiss francs (477 million euros, 714 million dollars) in 2008. |
An activist organisation, the Group for Switzerland without an Army (GSwA), had gathered the necessary 100,000 signatures under Swiss regulations to force a referendum on the issue.
It called for Switzerland to have "a coherent foreign policy, without participating in conflict and killing indirectly."
Defence companies had argued any ban would result in as many as 10,000 job losses, and 68 percent of voters were against a ban, according to official results.
After the result, Economy Minister Doris Leuthard vowed to "strictly" review each sale of arms abroad and promised Switzerland would not sell weapons to countries that systematically violated human rights.
Switzerland's weapon exports were worth a total of 722 million Swiss francs (477 million euros, 714 million dollars) in 2008.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
 del.icio.us |
 Digg |
 Reddit |
 YahooMyWeb |
 Google |
 Facebook |
Venezuela to take delivery on Chinese planes next year| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |