In Switzerland, a neutral country, armed to the teeth

Veneer, perfectly calibrated carefully rests the assault rifle in the closet. Or maybe it is hidden in a dusty corner of the attic. But if they are registered with pride or indifference, weapons are very present in the particularities of the Swiss.

And the Swiss are called to the polls Sunday to vote on the popular initiative presents an old tradition: take home the weapon that the army has given once completed compulsory military service.

Swiss arms, however, remains not all at home.

Switzerland exports holdings in over 70 countries around the world.

International journalists who cover the riots in Egypt were threatened by the national army with Swiss rifles

Tobia Schnebli, militant group by a Switzerland without an army (GSSE)

And the arms trade has led to a national historic landmark 727 million in 2009 and gave more than 6,000 jobs.

But the Switzerland is hosting over 250 NGOs and international organisations such as the Red Cross. And article 54 of the Constitution, the Swiss Confederation "ensures peaceful coexistence among peoples and preserving the natural foundations of life".

Alpine States is known to have over 500 years of democracy and peace and its neutral position in recent global conflict.

Is this not a great contradiction?

Pierre Rusconi, Chairman of the Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC), the principal political force of the country doesn't believe that arms exports questioned the neutrality and Switzerland pacifist vocation nor its role as effective mediator in international conflicts.

There are four groups engaged in the manufacture of ordnance and Switzerland weapons.

"Weapons factories were created in World War II to enable the country to become independent militarily", said BBC World Rusconi.

"And Switzerland to try and avoid selling (arms) to warring countries," added.

However, it is a complicated question: sure that to sell arms to them be step use.

"International journalists who cover the riots in Egypt were threatened by army Swiss rifle", said Tobia Schnebli, militant group by a Switzerland without an army (GSSE).

"Unfortunately the Federal Council is a servant of the war, the industry because it allows the export of arms to countries at war." "This attitude discredits completely neutral and humanitarian tradition of the country", he told Schnebli at BBC world.

But who will buy weapons in Switzerland? According to information published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (FDEA), the Swiss Confederation is supplier of 74 countries on five continents.

Saudi Arabia: $ 164 million

Source: Ministère de l'Economie suisse

The main customer of 2009 was Germany, who imported weapons of 138 billion, after having bought the 80 million in 2008.

Is followed by Saudi Arabia, imports of $ 131 million. Denmark with 77 million in 2009 and 80 million in 2008. and the United Kingdom with $ 70 million.

At United States ($36 million) and Chile ($15 million) top the list of the Americas in 2009. but, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Panama and the Ecuador are also consumers at low level.

Asia is also profitable for the Switzerland. Pakistan at the top a list - with 110 million in 2008 and 15 million in 2009 — which also includes the Malaysia ($14 million), Korea and South Singapore with $ 5 million each.

But the Switzerland arms industry has an important role in the country.

Popular initiative proposes to drastically reduce the number of weapons in the hands of Swiss citizens.

Tobia Schenbli, Switzerland "is a neutral but not pacifist nation" and adds it to turn: "Paradoxically, expenditures added defence $ 7 million.

And, according to figures from the Ministry of defence, Swiss army closed in 2009 with an arsenal of 134.200 elements.

These data provide an easy to read its context. In Switzerland, there is an element of the Navy for every 58 residents. War of the United States of power, the ratio is one for 300 people.

Pierre Rusconi advocates "the arms as a part of the production industry is for"House"and the rest is exported for the purpose of preventing sale in areas of conflict".

The Switzerland is one of the countries with the highest proportion of firearms civil citizens handmade over two and a half million. A high figure considering the population stood at 7.7 million.

According to figures from 2007 by the Institut d'Etudes International de Genève, whereas the .uu United States. There are 90 per 100 inhabitants, guns Switzerland the proportion was 46 per each 100 separate at the head of the global table of only Yemen (61) and Finland (56).

"Rifles and pistols are deeply rooted in the tradition of Switzerland," explains Rusconi. But activist Schnebli "the old idea of Swiss citizenship must be a soldier" is anachronistic.

Despite the wide diffusion of weapons, the Switzerland was not a crime rate is high. The Alpine country is in the head by the number of suicides involving firearms in Europe. According to the Federal Office of statistics in 2009, 30% of suicides were shot dead.

The popular Sunday initiative aims to reduce suicides and homicides, according to its advocates.

A promise that can be maintained, reproduced the opponents that would eliminate one more rooted in cultural Switzerland traditions: the possession of weapons.

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