Ivan Camilleri, Brussels
Swiss action 'in line with Schengen'
The Swiss government's decision to blacklist 186 Libyan persons, including Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, preventing them from obtaining a Schengen visa, was made according to existing rules, a European Commission spokesman said.
Pressed to say whether the Swiss decision was "inappropriate", Commission justice spokesman Michele Cercone said yesterday the Swiss decision was taken in line with the Schengen protocol.
He added: "According to defined rules, a decision to include someone into the persona non grata list is up to individual member states. The rules state every member state has the right to make these decisions, which have to be respected by all the other states included in the protocol."
Using a diplomatic tone, the Commission's spokesman failed to condemn the Swiss decision when questioned by Italian journalists but qualified his comments by stating this was a bilateral issue which the Commission hoped to be resolved amicably between the two parties.
"The Commission is closely following all the developments and hopes the issue between Switzerland and Libya is settled as soon as possible," he said.
During an EU Foreign Ministers' meeting last Monday, Malta and Italy criticised the Swiss decision saying the Schengen rules should not be used as a political tool in a bilateral row such as the one with Libya. They called on the EU to ensure this was not repeated.
However, according to the Commission, there were no plans to change any existing rules. "I don't know of any such revision," Mr Cercone said when asked.
Meanwhile, according to Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, a solution to the visa issue was "close."
Commenting on a telephone conversation between Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Col Gaddafi, Mr Frattini said an agreement was in sight and should be concluded very soon.
"The Swiss should be retracting their blacklist in the coming days while they promised to launch an investigation into how photos of Gaddafi's son taken during his interrogation by the Swiss authorities ended up in the press," Mr Frattini was quoted as saying.
Last week, Libya decided not to recognise any Schengen area passengers following Switzerland's decision to blacklist the Libyan officials.
Relations between Switzerland and Libya have soured since July 2008, when Geneva police questioned Mr Gaddafi's son, Hannibal, and his wife following a complaint that they had abused domestic staff at their . Soon after, Libya prevented two Swiss businessmen from leaving the country and subsequently tried them on visa violations.
The Libyan-Maltese Chamber of Commerce has strongly condemned Switzerland's blacklisting of Libyan nationals. The situation, it said, was causing problems to its members who could not travel to Tripoli to carry on their business, chamber president Anthony Micallef said.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Woman found dead in car,...
Updated: Woman dies in car crash
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Part of Dwejra 'Azure window' collapses
The end of the bar that ‘never closed’
Bundy does not know whether to...
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
This WAS the night - Kurt makes it...
Petrol price up 6c
In Discussion
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
Gozo tunnel could take 5-7 years to...
CABS remote controlled aircraft shot...
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Joseph Calleja condemns portrayal of...
Updated: Labour would give...
CABS drone shot down
Second group of migrants arrives
Adrian Vassallo in scathing...
12 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Franco Farrugia
Feb 25th 2010, 15:06
@ Mr Dalli: 'A crime is a crime is a crime'. That is just it, sir. Gaddafi's son has been misbehaving and creating problems around Europe for a long time. And that is why Switzerland acted the way it did, simply because his father, in Libya, used the country to try and punish Switzerland. Landsakes, get to the beginning of the thing, folks, before you join the fray!
Franco Farrugia
Feb 25th 2010, 08:07
@ Joseph Cachia: I don't think that the Swiss are being irresponsible. On the contrary, I think it is Italy and Malta, who are being irresponsible. The Swiss have a valid reason to act the way they did - remember Gaddafi's son? Instead of lambasting and condemning Gaddafi for using family problems on an international scale, we condemn the Swiss. Wrong! I don't think that Malta stands to gain, in the long run, if Gaddafi visits Malta. He may wear any kind of clothing, but he remains a tyrant and a despot in his own country!
@ Carmen Psaila: Exactly! My sentiments exactly!
@ E Muscat: For once, I agree with you. Don't let that happen too often, thought, har-har!
E.Muscat
Feb 24th 2010, 20:39
@Carmen Psaila: your comment was sensible.The usual crowd of the uninformed and bigots have tried to drown your voice:don't be discouraged,truth will win in the end: however, we may be too late to do anything about it when the 'dirt' hits the fan!
a.dalli
Feb 24th 2010, 16:30
@Carmen Psaila
Madame you are way out of point. The Gentleman committed a crime - working without the proper permits and was condemned for four months. All was done above board and in accordance to the laws of a sovereign state. We should take heed of this and look around us and check how many people are working illegally in Malta. Furthermore when Libyan nationals go out of line Malta included, they are brought to justice and if found guilty they are condemned. What's wrong with that? Does nationality make any difference? A crime is a crime is a crime.
Martin Cassar
Feb 24th 2010, 15:23
@ Carmen Psaila
Dear Ms,
The real world of today is not a love romance with pink roses. Money is number ONE priority and it is placed at the very top of the list. If God has been dragged (and sometimes eliminated) from the list what would you expect?
The EU's slogan of solidarity and human rights will evaporate the minute an important business relations are put at risk or a boat of illegal immigrants hits the shore.
Switzerland is actually as bad as France, China, Iran or Libya when it comes to business vs. human rights. EU uses human rights as political tool too and this is extremely ugly! By the way the Col. is using the illegal immigrants as a political tool too in order to put the EU human rights at severe test.
Swiss just wants more business; they don't care for human rights. So Switzerland black list some Libyans VIP’s including Gaddafi meantime let North Korea's leader’s families to stay in Switzerland to study and live. This is called hypocrisy and goes to prove that human rights are another useless EU slogan. Have you got different explanation please?
lgalea
Feb 24th 2010, 15:13
Carmen Psaila Forget your morals. I5t all boils down to politics not morals. Why should we as a supposedly independent country/government be ordered whom to allow in our country by another country or organization?
joseph cachia I agree with you. NO foreign country/government must be allowed to dictate to us whom we shall allow to enter Malta. Is the government going to take this lying down?
Martin Cassar May the eu be not only divided but destroyed for ever from the face of the earth.
E.Muscat
Feb 24th 2010, 14:38
Libya is throwing its oil weight and oil wealth around and its servants 'italy and Malta' are not brave enough to say that Switzerland is right!
It started with an upstart playboy son, not controllable by his father, who thinks he is the new hannibal,involved the arrest and imprisonment of swiss innocent citizens as a reprisal for arresting this son after having beaten his servants black and blue in switzerland, an oil embargo against switzerland,the withdrawal of billions from swiss banks,and then the gall switzerland had in voting to stop new minarets from being built there:this is what we will face if we continue to serve this new nimrod:europe wake up!
Carmen Psaila
Feb 24th 2010, 13:05
When I read comments from some readers and Maltese Ministers, I am ashamed to be Maltese. All talk is about business, losing money, etc. What about moral rights and human rights Libya does what it wants and ignores internatinal law. What about the suffering of the poor, innocent Swiss man held in custoday for 19 months. How would you react if it was a member of YOUR family? Money and businness reasons are no exchange for a person's sufferings, dignity and clear disregard for international law.
Dennis Zammit
Feb 24th 2010, 13:04
Oh how nice . . . a non-EU country can blacklist anyone and get away with it even if it harms other EU members. So we are in the family and have to support the Swiss attitude.
Why doesn't each EU country black list a prominent, possible Swiss Govt. minister and see if they change their attitude?
joseph cachia
Feb 24th 2010, 12:56
Now we know the inconvenience suffered by any MALTESE not able to enter LIBYA due
to the SWISS irresponsability is all DUE to ONE PERSON from ABB ELECTRONICS was
TWO YEARS AGO in LIBYA found GUILTY of an OFFENCE, which Switzerland did'nt LIKE
So eye for eye, Switzerland found an excuse to BAR LIBYANS, causing our national's loss
of earnings, and discomfort to our GOVERNMENT .
Mr GADDAFI PLEASE COME OVER NO BAN EXIST in MALTA for YOU and your entourage.
MALTESE NATIONALS A WAIT YOUR ARRIVAL AND WELCOME TO OUR MALTA
Martin Cassar
Feb 24th 2010, 12:11
@ Ramon Casha
Sir,
While the Wall Street represents the Mafia-Trion’s right wing and provides immune for financial illegal transactions ensued from weapons, prostitution and drugs...etc on the other side of the Atlantic both Switzerland and London represent the left side of the Mafia-Trion’s wing. This probably explains why Mr. Berlusconi's is retaliating from his Alpine neighbor Switzerland as Mr. Berlusconi's too is angry over a row connected with bank secrecy suggested by Switzerland. The more troubled Greece and its secret debits with Wall Street reveals the more scandals would follow! Mr. Gaddafi reads all this quite well indeed, and his austerity over the Visas for EU nationals of Schengen zone are simply nothing but to uncover hidden agendas that may eventually divide the EU. Will the rascals learn?
Ramon Casha
Feb 24th 2010, 11:02
Now why didn't Malta negotiate a derogation on this one?
Malta, Italy and other Schengen member states should pile on the pressure to ensure that this rule does not get abused again - if necessary, by using the visa ban to harm Switżerland's economic interests.