Swiss pair 'won't leave Libya'
2008-07-30 13:46
Geneva - Two Swiss nationals detained in Libya after the arrest in Switzerland of Muammar Gaddafi's son have been released, but they cannot leave the country, says the Swiss foreign ministry.
They were in the Swiss embassy in Tripoli "in good health" after their release on bail on Tuesday, 10 days after they were taken into custody, the ministry said in a statement.
The two Swiss - one of them an employee of engineering group ABB - were detained after Hannibal Gaddafi, 32, and his wife were arrested in a Geneva hotel on July 15 on suspicion of assaulting members of hotel staff.
The Gaddafi's, who denied the allegations, were released on bail two days later, as Libya suspended oil shipments to Switzerland, stopped issuing visas to Swiss nationals, and shut the Tripoli offices of Nestle and ABB.
Despite their release, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the two Swiss nationals had not been granted authorisation to leave Libya.
"Discussions between Switzerland and Libya are continuing at the diplomatic level to overcome tensions in bilateral relations," the Swiss federal foreign affairs department said.
- AFP