THE TRIPOLI POST: Tripoli-Switzerland publicly and officially apologized to Libya on Thursday for the unjustified arrest of Libyan diplomat Hannibal Muammar Al-Qathafi and his family by the Geneva police on 15 July 2008, the Libyan news agency JANA reported on.
Switzerland also apologized for actions undertaken by other Swiss officials, JANA said.
In an agreement signed by the Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz in Tripoli on Thursday and the Secretary of the GPC Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi, Switzerland committed itself not to repeat such actions against Libyan officials and citizens.
Switzerland also said in the agreement that it will improve the treatment of Libyans and facilitate their procedures, reported the Libyan news agency.
"We are apologizing for what happened to Hannibal Gaddafi and the two sides agreed to form a committee to discuss the matter," Merz told reporters in Tripoli.
Al-Baghdadi said the apology and visit by the Swiss President was a beginning to addressing the matter.
"Both countries agree to set up independent arbitration to investigate the circumstances of the arrest," Merz's statement said.
Merz landed in Tripoli earlier in the day Thursday and met with Al-Mahmoudi for closed-door talks. [Source: Switzerland Publicly Apologizes to Libya – The Tripoli Post] | Sunday, August 23, 2009
