Article

2009-08-21 Africa North

Switzerland 'sorry' for Gaddafi son's arrest

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Posted by Cromotle Chinesh7431 2009-08-21 06:25|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 A very useful and helpful post, Cromotle Chinesh7431. Thank you!

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-08-21 09:29|| 2009-08-21 09:29|| Front Page Top

#2 Well, they are sorry SOB's now. I wonder how the rest of their family is, are they sorry too?

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-08-21 10:27|| 2009-08-21 10:27|| Front Page Top

#3 So the answer to my last post's question is clear. A coward nation, cut and dry...

Posted by 49 Pan 2009-08-21 10:54|| 2009-08-21 10:54|| Front Page Top

#4 A coward nation, cut and dry

Is the US a "A coward nation, cut and dry" because of O's apologies to the World?

At least Switzerland changes its president every year, so there's still hope.

Posted by Willy 2009-08-21 12:22|| 2009-08-21 12:22|| Front Page Top

#5 Nice try, not gonna bite on that one.

Posted by 49 Pan 2009-08-21 12:37|| 2009-08-21 12:37|| Front Page Top

#6 The Swiss Prez figuratively bent over for Kadaffy. A supposedly much more powerful president did so literally.

Posted by ed 2009-08-21 12:44|| 2009-08-21 12:44|| Front Page Top

#7 Some additional information I gleaned from Swiss media:

Merz signed a formal treaty that will empower a presumably international "Panel of Arbiters" to adjudicate "guilt" and "innocence" in this affair.
The hostages are not mentioned in the treaty, however Merz has promised their release next week.

Like the states in the US each Swiss canton has its own code of criminal law, and law enforcement is a cantonal matter.

The canton of Geneva is now trying to rally the other cantonal governments to protest this infringement of their constitutional sovereignty.

The lawyer who represented Hannibal Gaddafi's victims has stated that the Libyan government had assassinated the brother of one of the victims.

Prior to today I had not heard of that claim, so I don't know any details.

As to the moral judgment of Swiss behavior:

The Swiss (across the political spectrum) are very critical of Israel so there was some irony to Switzerland suddenly being treated like Israel by an Arab regime.

However, the Swiss got into this pinch because they did something that was right, morally and legally. Their sovereignty was challenged by one of the vilest regimes in the Arab world. They were openly threatened with a WMD attack.

The western world's reaction to this was the release of the Lockerbie, not to a "Death Panel", but to a hero's welcome in Libya.

What the Swiss showed may be realism, not cowardice. 9/11 has ended the Pax Americana and by electing Obama the American electorate has ratified that development.

Everyone has to readjust now, maybe the Swiss made some sacrifice to gain time for building up some minimal nuclear deterrent. Who knows?

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;"

Posted by Cromotle Chinesh7431 2009-08-21 13:03|| 2009-08-21 13:03|| Front Page Top

#8 #7 - I hadn't thought of nuclear proliferation as a result of this, but it's a good point.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2009-08-21 14:45|| 2009-08-21 14:45|| Front Page Top

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