Advertisement ::

Enlarge Cartoon

Update 13:50  Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss federal government announced Wednesday 17 February that it will continue the policy begun in November 2009 of restricting visas for Libyans. Italy, France and Malta were calling Tuesday for Switzerland to change its policy, given Libya’s announcement Monday that it would not allow citizens of Schengen countries to cross its border, citing a black list of nearly 200 Libyan officials who have been refused visas.

Swissinfo reports that “Jacques de Watteville, Swiss ambassador to the EU, says Switzerland had rejected just 270 applications for Schengen visas out of 30,000, less than one per cent.” The Swiss government has not confirmed there is a black list.

Swiss officials say they have been in contact with European Union authorities since the start of the restrictions, contrary to remarks made earlier this week by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner when interviewed by TSR, Swiss public television.

German newspaper Deutsche Welle says that Sawsan Chebli, an associate fellow with the German Council on Foreign Relations, told the paper, “The EU is Libya’s greatest trade and export partner. This is a leverage the EU could use. However, Italy and other EU member states with close relations with Libya in the past have shown that they are not interested to spoil their relations with Libya whatever Gadhafi’s action may be.

“That is not likely to change. And the problem is that Gadhafi knows that he is able to divide the EU.”

The Swiss and Italian foreign ministers are scheduled to talk Wednesday afternoon, following a meeting in Rome between Italian, Maltese and Libyan officials to discuss the situation.

Switzerland began to restrict the visas it issued after it became clear that Libya would continue to hold two Swiss businessmen, despite assurances by Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi that they would be released.

Links to other sites: Le Temps (Fre), TSR (Fre)