Libya tightens visa rules

Libya plans to tighten its visa rules for citizens of some European countries in retaliation for its own citizens being denied European visas, a senior official said yesterday.

The move - which he said would come into force "in a few days" - comes amid continued fallout after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son and wife were arrested in Switzerland in 2008.

The official said the stricter rules would apply to citizens of European countries that are part of the Schengen pact, which allows travellers to obtain a single visa that is good for travel to 24 European states.

Tripoli "will harden conditions for granting visas to businessmen, the executives of European companies operating in Libya and citizens of certain other nations," the official said on condition of anonymity. He said the measures were being taken because most Libyan applications for visas to Schengen area states are turned down.

In November, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim noted that most Libyan applications for Schengen visas were rejected, and threatened similar action against citizens of some Schengen states.

The visa wars began after Hannibal Gaddafi and his pregnant wife Aline were arrested at a luxury Geneva hotel in July 2008.

They were detained after complaints from two servants, a Moroccan and a Tunisian, who alleged they had been mistreated by the couple.

The Gaddafis were freed on bail after two days in custody, and the complaint against them was dropped after a lawyer said the servants had received compensation.

But the incident sparked outrage from the Gaddafi family. It led to a freeze on Swiss business, the withdrawal of Libyan assets from Swiss banks and disruption to oil deliveries.