UDC Friends-Le Blog des Amis de l'UDC en Romandie

The Swiss Defense Minister Samuel Schmid said yesterday he believed it was very important for Switzerland to reinforce the presence of military attachés in the unstable areas of Asia. Schmid expressed this view shortly after a trip to Pakistan, where one military representative will take up his duties in the forthcoming weeks. After a first trip in 2004 to India, a country which has the nuclear weapon, and where a defense attaché had then been appointed there, the defense minister spent this week in Islamabad, “the second power equipped with the nuclear weapon, in order to be able to appreciate the situation in a complete way”. Schmid added that Pakistan has a role to play on how the situation will evolve in the region. During the visit, Pakistani officials once again expressed their interest in the obsolete 736 armored personnel carriers, whose sale to Pakistan was cancelled in March 2006 following concerns they would not be used solely for United Nations peacekeeping purposes. Schmid also met Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, to discuss a possible Marshall Plan for Afghanistan to help contribute to the stability of its northern neighbor, and raised the possibility of Pakistani officers training in Switzerland.

Commentary: This trip is very unusual for a Swiss minister since Switzerland plays no strategic role in the region, and even more for a Swiss Defense Minister whose duty was traditionally limited at reviewing military exercises at home. While the Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister Clamy-Rey has taken an increasing pride at making her foreign travel public, thus showing the country’s solidarity with the world’s problems (Geneva Initiative, ICRC vs. G’tmo, North-South Korea, EU), the Swiss army had instead the primary goal to preserve the security of the Swiss population, and prohibited foreign interventions (with the recent exceptions of peace keeping in Kosovo). Schmid’s visits abroad are therefore all the more striking. Along the recent years and following Switzerland’s partnership with Nato (PfP), Switzerland’s army has now slowly engaged in the training of foreign personnel, like other departments such as the Foreign Affairs and Economic Ministries. Switzerland has also sent troops for disaster relief operations (Tsunami aid). Schmid’s trip therefore highlights a change in the Swiss army’s mentality after the end of the cold war. But on the political front, Schmid’s trial ballons will soon or later clash with his own right-wing conservative party (SVP) who oppose Swiss meddling in international affairs. Both Socialists and SVP have just thrown out the latest revision of the army reform as both disagree on the primary goals of the army as set by the constitution.