© AFP/File Mahmud Turkia

CAIRO (AFP) - The Arab League on Thursday condemned a move by Switzerland to ban Libyans, including leader Moamer Kadhafi, from entering Swiss territory.

Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo "condemn the unilateral measures taken by Swiss authorities to issue a list that includes Libyan national figures and leading personalities, which prevents them from getting a European (Schengen) visa," they said in a statement.

The move "is an abuse of European justice for political motives," the ministers said calling on European Union countries to ignore the list.

Libya has been embroiled in a diplomatic row with Switzerland since July 2008 after the brief arrest in Geneva of Kadhafi's son Hannibal when two hotel workers complained he had mistreated them.

The dispute escalated when Libya detained two Swiss businessmen.

Switzerland hit back by banning 186 Libyans, including Kadhafi and the foreign minister, from entering Swiss territory.

Last year, 270 visa applications from Libyans seeking to enter Europe's 25-state Schengen free-travel zone were rejected at Switzerland's request, out of a total of 30,000 requests, according to the Swiss migration office.

Libya recently retaliated by announcing it was planning to deny entry visas to European citizens.