Libya slams Swiss travel ban
2010-02-18 13:50
Tripoli - A Libyan government spokesperson on Thursday slammed Switzerland's alleged travel ban on 188 Libyans, including the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi, as a "crime."
"We regard the compiling of this list as a mean policy aimed at diverting attention from the agreement" signed by Tripoli and Bern to defuse the crisis sparked by the brief arrest of Gaddafi’s son Hannibal in Geneva in July 2008, Mohammed Baayu said.
The Swiss blacklist, which Baayu branded a "crime", names 188 Libyans, including Muammar Gaddafi and his family, according to Libyan media.
"How can you describe such a list that includes the name of a child less three years old?" he asked, referring to Hannibal Gaddafi’s son.
Bern has not confirmed the existence of the list, saying only that it has had "a restrictive visa policy" towards Libya since autumn 2009 in protest at Tripoli's refusal to release two Swiss citizens held in Libya since July 2008.
Diplomatic row
Hannibal Gaddafi and his pregnant wife Aline were arrested at a luxury Geneva and detained for two days when two hotel workers complained they had mistreated them.
The incident sparked outrage from the Gaddafi family and provoked a diplomatic row.
Baayu said the Swiss confederation "can bring this crisis to an end by implementing the agreement signed on August 20 (2009) in Tripoli by the respectful Swiss president, but which was rejected by the canton of Geneva."
The accord requires from Switzerland "apologies, compensation and the trial" of those responsible for the arrest of Hannibal Gaddafi, the spokesperson added.
The Swiss and Libyan foreign ministers were due to meet in the Spanish capital on Thursday to try to resolve the crisis, according to Switzerland's foreign ministry.