topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2117.66 -0.08
DAX 6323.19 -0.26
IBEX 30 6401.2 -2.17
CAC 40 3042.97 -0.16
FTSE 100 5356.34 0.09
AEX 292.76 0.00
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13057.26 -0.74
TSX Composite 11566.15 -0.09
ASX 4140.3 0.49
Hang seng 18810.25 0.05
Straits Times 2787.26 0.00
ISEQ 20 501.76 0.16
You are here: Home News Community News Swiss envoys in Libya to rebuild diplomacy

Community News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


21/10/2009Swiss envoys in Libya to rebuild diplomacy

Swiss diplomats arrived in Tripoli Monday to "normalise" diplomatic relations after a 2008 dispute.

Geneva -- Swiss diplomats arrived in Libya Monday in a bid to rebuild diplomatic ties after a dispute erupted in 2008 when a son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi was arrested in a Geneva hotel.

"A delegation of several people from Switzerland has arrived in Tripoli to hold talks," said the Swiss foreign ministry in a statement.

The statement said the aim of the talks was to "normalise" diplomatic relations between the two countries.

A dispute broke out between Tripoli and Bern when police in Geneva arrested Hannibal Kadhafi and his wife over allegations that they had mistreated two servants.

Swiss police detained the pair for two days, sparking outrage from Libyan authorities.

Although the charges against Kadhafi were later dropped, the Geneva incident sparked a string of penalising measures from Tripoli, including a freeze on Swiss business, the withdrawal of Libyan assets from Swiss banks and disruption to oil deliveries.

Officials then refused to grant exit visas to two Swiss businessmen, accusing them of immigration offences and banning them from leaving the country.

After a year of failed attempts at normalising relations, Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz apologised in August to the Libyan people for the Geneva incident.

His controversial apology was presented as a negotiation for the swift return of the two businessmen.

Swiss authorities said in September that Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi assured Merz on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting in New York that he would "commit himself" to allowing the two men to return home.

But a day later they were detained by Libyan authorities in a "safe" place.

The pair had been staying at the Swiss embassy in Tripoli but Libya justified the move over fears Switzerland could resort to military action to free them.

AFP / Expatica


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

Americans in the Netherlands

reporting birth abroad

Relocating to the Netherlands

Taxation on Rental Apartments!

Housing in the Netherlands

Taxation on Rental Appartments?

Discuss Dutch Culture

High-quality fake passports, driver's licenses, ID

English in the Netherlands

Moved to Hengelo

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Setting up home in the Netherlands

Setting up home in the Netherlands

A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2012.

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

Expatica offers a whistle-stop tour of life in the modern Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.