As reported earlier this summer through Bloomberg by Paul Verschuur, “a retired Swiss Army colonel is petitioning the Defense Ministry to keep the famous pocket knife issued to the Alpine nation's soldiers Swiss following reports that the next batch of 65,000 could be made in China.
Alois Kessler, a lawyer who served as a reserve officer until 2004, began his campaign after hearing that World Trade Organization rules may mean the government has to consider bids from anywhere in the world for its new batch of Army knives.
“A Swiss Army knife with a Swiss cross on it, and ‘Made in China' on the back, won't be accepted at all well,'' Kessler said today in an interview from his Schwyz, Switzerland, office. “I have real doubts that China would manage the same standards of quality'' as the Swiss product, he said.
Based in nearby Ibach, Victorinox AG has provided pocket knives since 1909 for the Swiss Army, as well as Pope Benedict XVI and 5.5 million others annually…
“There is a need for a new army knife,'' said Peter Lyoth, a spokesman for Armasuisse, the Defense Ministry's procurement agency. When asked if the knife could be ordered from China, he declined to comment.
Kessler said he is trying to convince the Army that the knife would qualify for an exemption to the WTO rule banning discrimination against foreign bidders. Alternatively, he argued the government is free to set quality and environmental criteria that non-Swiss bidders are unlikely to meet.
“It's an emotional thing, too,'' Kessler said.” (Primary Source: www.bloomberg.com)
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