Two Swiss nationals detained in Libya after the arrest in Switzerland of Moammar Gadhafi's son have been released, but they can't leave the country, the Swiss foreign ministry said Wednesday.
They now are in the Swiss embassy in Tripoli "in good health" following their release on bail Tuesday, 10 days after they were taken into custody, the ministry said in a statement.
The two Swiss - one of them an employee of engineering group ABB AG (ABB) - were detained after Hannibal Gadhafi and his wife were arrested in a Geneva hotel on July 15 on suspicion of assaulting members of hotel staff.
The Gadhafis, who denied the allegations, were released on bail two days later, as Libya suspended oil shipments to Switzerland, stopped issuing visas to Swiss nationals, and shut the Tripoli offices of Nestle SA (NSRGY) and ABB.
Despite their release, the foreign ministry said Wednesday the two Swiss nationals haven't been granted authorization to leave Libya.
"Discussions between Switzerland and Libya are continuing at the diplomatic level to overcome tensions in bilateral relations," the Swiss federal foreign affairs department said.