Arab League slams Swiss ban on Libyans
(CAIRO) - The Arab League on Thursday condemned a move by Switzerland to ban Libyans, including leader Moamer Kadhafi, from entering Swiss territory.
Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo "condemn the unilateral measures taken by Swiss authorities to issue a list that includes Libyan national figures and leading personalities, which prevents them from getting a European (Schengen) visa," they said in a statement.
The move "is an abuse of European justice for political motives," the ministers said at a meeting ahead of an Arab summit to be hosted by Libya later this month.
The ministers also "call on European Union states not to adhere to this list," the statement added.
According to Tripoli, Switzerland issued a "blacklist" of 188 Libyans, including Libyan leader Kadhafi, banned from entering Swiss territory.
Libya has been embroiled in a diplomatic row with Switzerland since July 2008 after the brief arrest in Geneva of Kadhafi's son Hannibal when two hotel workers complained he had mistreated them.
The dispute escalated when Libya detained two Swiss businessmen.
Switzerland hit back by issuing the issuing the blacklist.
Last year, 270 visa applications from Libyans seeking to enter Europe's 25-state Schengen free-travel zone were rejected at Switzerland's request, out of a total of 30,000 requests, according to the Swiss migration office.
Libya recently retaliated by announcing it was planning to deny entry visas to European citizens.
On Wednesday, Libya said it decided to impose a "total" economic embargo on Switzerland, a week after Kadhafi declared holy war on Bern.
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