Swiss foreign minister plans to meet Libyan counterpart to resolve visa row

Swiss, Libyans plan to meet over visa row

GENEVA — Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey plans to meet her Libyan counterpart in Madrid to resolve a diplomatic row that has led to tit-for-tat visa suspensions affecting most European travelers.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Adrian Sollberger says Calmy-Rey plans to discuss the dispute with Libya’s Moussa Koussa in the Spanish capital on Thursday.

He says Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos will also attend the gathering.

The high-level meeting is part of an effort to resolve a dispute that has barred Libyans from traveling to Europe and citizens from 25 European nations from visiting Libya.

The dispute began two years ago when Switzerland arrested Gadhafi’s son on suspicion of beating his servants.