AUGUST 24, 2009, 4:08 P.M. ET

An Apology for Hannibal

The Swiss president bows to Libyan diplomatic terrorism.

Comments 2

Scotland wasn't the only country caving in to Libyan diplomatic terrorism last week. While the world's eyes were on the "compassionate" release of Lockerbie bomber Abdul Basset Megrahi from Scottish prison, Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz was busy apologizing to Moammar Gadhafi for the arrest in Geneva last July of his son, Hannibal.

Gadhafi fils was detained for 48 hours by Geneva police after two servants, one Moroccan and one Tunisian, complained to the police that they were being beaten with a belt and a coat-hanger by Hannibal and his wife. The Gadhafis quickly made bail and were allowed to leave the country, but the incident did not end there. Libya responded to the arrests by threatening to cut off oil deliveries to the country and by shutting down the Tripoli offices of Nestle and ABB. It also detained two Swiss employees of ABB. They were released a few weeks later, but barred from leaving the country while Libya awaited an apology for Hannibal's arrest.

After a year-long standoff, Mr. Merz finally offered that apology last Thursday, in exchange for which he received a verbal assurance that the ABB employees would be permitted to leave by September 1.

Hannibal Gadhafi has a rap sheet in Europe as long as your arm. He ran afoul of the authorities in Paris for driving drunk down the Champs Elysee at 90 miles per hour—going the wrong way. In a separate incident, he threatened French police with a gun. In Rome he assaulted Italian police with a fire extinguisher. But he has always skated away thanks to his status as a Libyan "diplomat."

As the world continues to question whether Megrahi merited the compassion of Scotland, it's worth pondering the bullying, violent and nasty way in which the Gadhafi family treats Europeans and European law. Mr. Merz's apology is only likely to encourage more of the same.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... #printMode