EU deplores Libya Visa ban for Europeans. (BBC)
February, 16, 2010
Libya’s decision to stop issuing visas to European citizens has been condemned by the European Commission. Libya says it will not issue visas to countries that are part of the schengen border-free zone. The decision was influenced by Switzerland’s blacklisting of some high ranking Libyans denying them entry permits; the ban includes the president Muammar Gaddafi and his family.
Switzerland is part of the twenty-five European countries that have abolished mutual border controls. There were reports some Maltese citizens were refused entry into the country and had to spend twenty hours waiting for flights to get them back to Malta. The row between Switzerland and Libya dates back to 2008 when Gaddafi’s son and daughter-in-law were arrested in the Swiss capital for mistreating domestic workers. Libya has taken a series of actions since the incident; arresting two Swiss businessmen for visa irregularities, withdrawing billions of assets from Swiss banks and halted oil exports to the country.