Libyans.org.uk

Col Gaddafi’s government has recalled some of its diplomats from Switzerland, reduced flights between the countries, stopped processing visa requests from Swiss citizens, demanded the closure of Swiss firms in Libya and detained two Swiss citizens.

Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has formally complained about the moves to her Libyan counterpart and has advised citizens not to travel to Libya.

Swiss International Air Lines said Libya has reduced its flights between Zurich and Tripoli from three per week to one.

The airline’s spokesman said: “The notice from Libya was very surprising and short notice.”

Libya also announced a similar cut in Geneva flights with Libyan airline Afriqiyah.

Col Gaddafi’s youngest son Hannibal, 32, and his wife Aline were arrested last Wednesday after an incident in a five-star hotel in Geneva.

He was released on bail two days later after posting bail of 500,000 Swiss Francs. His wife, who is nine months pregnant, was taken to hospital during police questioning.

The couple were charged with assaulting two of their staff, a Moroccan man and a Tunisian woman, with a belt and coat hanger. The woman was hospitalised.

Mr Gaddafi and his wife deny the allegations. They had arrived in Geneva on July 5 for the birth of their child.

Switzerland have dispatched a diplomatic delegation to Tripoli to provide the Libyan authorities with more details about the arrest and “to prevent a crisis between the two countries”, the Swiss foreign ministry said.

Libya is the largest provider of oil to Switzerland. Hannibal Gaddafi has had previous run-ins with the law. In 2005, he was convicted by a French court for striking his pregnant companion in a Paris hotel. He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and a 500 Euro fine.

He also was at the centre of a separate commotion in 2004, when Paris police stopped him for speeding on the Champs Elysees and his bodyguards attacked several officers.

Two of the bodyguards were taken into custody but released after a delegation from the Libyan embassy showed up at the police station and apologised.

Saif Gaddafi on BBC Hardtalk 2.08.2007 Facing questions and he hardly trying to answer, the sarprise is that the bbc do know alot about Gaddafi regime and hoaw much brotall, and we all know that the BBC is the british government voice, so how come Tony Blair visited Gaddafi and made busebiness with him???

Libya has been taking “worrying retaliatory measures” against Switzerland since the arrest of the youngest son of Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy for allegedly beating two of his servants, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

It said Swiss citizens should cease travel to the country immediately.

Libya has recalled some of its diplomats in Switzerland, suspended the issuing of visas for Swiss citizens, cut down flights to Switzerland and has been detaining two Swiss nationals on various charges, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Swiss companies in Libya have received orders to close, and some company offices have been sealed,” it added.

Swiss International Air Lines said Libya has restricted its flights to a single flight per week following the arrest of Hannibal Khadafy.

Airline spokesman Jean-Claude Donzel confirmed a report in the dailies Le Matin and Tribune de Geneve that the Libyan authorities had said the reduction from three flights a week between Zurich and Tripoli was for technical operational reasons.

Libya also announced a similar cut in the flights of the Libyan airline Afriqiyah to Geneva, the Geneva airport disclosed.

Agencies

(China Daily 07/24/2008 page11)