An update on yesterday's story (with thanks to Alan)
July 24 (Bloomberg) -- Libya's state-run oil tanker company said it will stop carrying oil destined for Switzerland following the arrest in Geneva of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's son.
Switzerland will have to find other tankers than those of General National Maritime Transport Co. to help import the 60,000 barrels a day of oil it gets from Libya, company chairman Ali Belhag said in a telephone interview from Tripoli. Qaddafi's son, Hannibal, helps run the company
``Tankers will stop carrying oil that has Switzerland as the final destination,' he said. ``This decision is from our company, other shipping companies are not affected.'
The holder of Africa's largest oil reserves, Libya is the biggest supplier of crude to Switzerland. The Alpine nation buys 4 percent of the North African state's daily output of 1.7 million barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
Qaddafi's youngest son Hannibal sits as an adviser on the management board of General National Maritime. The company has 10 tankers - five for crude oil, three for oil products and two for liquefied petroleum gas - according to its Web site...
And more:
"Gaddafi takes Swiss hostages!" declares the tabloid Blick and goes on to ask: "Does this desert dictator think he can do what he wants with Switzerland?"
"The Gaddafi clan takes revenge," is the headline in Bern's Bund newspaper.
"In Libya the Gaddafis see to it that might prevails," says the Tages-Anzeiger of Zurich. It goes on to describe Libya as "a paradise for shadowy foreign businessmen" who appreciate the fact that there are "no clear laws".
In its editorial the paper says that Gaddafi is reacting "as if the law was not the same for everyone in Switzerland".
For the Lausanne-based Le Matin too, the action taken by the Geneva police against Hannibal deserves praise. "It's easier to pick up a few Roma beggars under a bridge and dump them at the border than to arrest the son of a dictator in a five star hotel."
"We would have been glad to avoid the retaliatory measures taken by Libya," it says. "But that's the price to pay if we want to remain credible. If we want to make sure our laws are respected by all, including the rich tourists so beloved by our luxury shops and hotels."
Le Matin has its own take on the situation inside Libya. "Even the Gaddafi family knows it is not the Swiss police who have humiliated Libya. It's their little brother who has tarnished the image of their country. His older brother, Seif al-Islam, a good communicator who is working seriously to modernise and open up the country, can't be at all pleased. Let's hope he'll find a way to mend fences with Bern."...
