Libya-Schengen visa crisis prompts tripartite meeting in Rome today
Foreign Minister Tonio Borg will fly to Rome this morning and meet with his Italian and Libyan counterparts in a bid to find a solution to the Schengen visa crisis that has developed over the last two days, with Libya denying entry to EU-Schengen citizens in retaliation to Switzerland’s decision to grant Shengen visas to senior Libyan officials.
Tonio Borg will meet with Franco Frattini and Kousa Mousa at Palazzo Madama in Rome after the three sides agreed yesterday after a series of phone calls to discuss possible solutions to the crisis that has developed between Libya and Switzerland and that has consequently involved all EU-Schengen countries.
While Minister Tonio Borg has obtained a formal acknowledgement that the upcoming EU Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday will discuss the issue, Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini has denounced non-EU member Switzerland of “abusing” the Schengen Treaty to which it has adhered to, short of membership.
A number of Maltese, Italian, Portughese and Irish passengers were refused entry into Libya on Sunday night as officials in Tripoli ordered a halt to accepting EU citizens.
While some where admitted after long negotiations between diplomatic representatives, a number of others including Maltese were reportedly kept locked in rooms for up to 20 hours before being sent back.
