THE GUARDIAN: Tripoli reciprocates by ending entry restrictions on members of Schengen nations
Libya has claimed victory after Switzerland today dropped a visa ban on senior members of Muammar Gaddafi's regime as part of a long-running row between the two countries.
The foreign ministry in Tripoli said it was ending entry restrictions on members of Europe's Schengen passport-free zone after the Spanish EU presidency declared an end to the exclusion of 188 Libyan officials, including Gaddafi.
But Libya's foreign minister, Musa Kusa, said that the crisis was not over. "We demand international arbitration and we will accept any outcome, positive or negative," he said.
The visa spat ended after the Spanish foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, arrived for talks in the Libyan town of Sirte, where Gaddafi was hosting an Arab League summit. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi was one of the foreign guests and reportedly stopped to kiss the Libyan leader's hand.
It took weeks of intense diplomatic activity to end the row and ease pressure on economic ties between the EU and Libya, with Italy – increasingly dependent on Libyan energy supplies – pressing hard for a solution. The Swiss visa ban was legally binding on Italy and all 25 Schengen members, including 22 EU countries as well as Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Sunday, March 28, 2010
