Brussels, 30/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - Switzerland is studying the possibility of filing a complaint against Tripoli, Swissinfo writes, further to the case of two Swiss nationals held against their will in Libya. The crisis had been overcome through European (Spanish in this case) mediation, after having upset the working of the Schengen community system of visa issuance. The affair could, however, flare up again with the announced lodging of such a complaint (although the jurisdiction to be referred to is not known at this time) and, still more, by the seizure of Libyan funds ordered by Swiss justice.
The compromise reached through European mediation in order to restore the situation to calm is now being jeopardised by the development of a strong internal crisis. As one local media confirms, there could be revelations in store 10 days after the second hostage's return from Libya; and the matter continues to entice media attention and to stir up the Swiss political class. The former Swiss ambassador to Tripoli, Daniel von Muralt, states he and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey differed considerably over a Libyan offer for early exit from the crisis.
The latest development is the idea launched in the public debate by Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey to begin proceedings against Libya for violation of human rights. Bern is studying the various options possible within the international justice system (European Court, International Court, African legal framework, etc). This coincides with the debate underway in Brussels, especially at the European Parliament, on human rights in Libya, and that country's relations with various international conventions (EUROPE 10167).
Voices raised for calm are mainly those who have directly suffered from the crisis with Libya. In the newspaper, Le Matin, the second person held in Libya, Rachid Hamdani, does not understand why “shots are being fired internally”. “It would seem Switzerland is not used to conflict”, Hamdani said, who adds the “country lacks maturity, and that is a problem”.
The crisis, however, is not only internal and could be affected again by relations with Tripoli. The daily, Le Temps, states that a Swiss company has seized 11.6 million Swiss francs belonging to sovereign funds controlled by a close relative of Kadhafi, the “Guide” of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Great Jamahiriya. On the economic front, the conflict between Switzerland and Libya has only just begun, Le Temps points out. (F.B./transl.jl)