Swiss Deny Visa for Zaire Leader
The Swiss government has refused to allow ailing Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko to return to Switzerland for medical treatment, officials said Monday.
Mobutu, who has prostate cancer, underwent surgery in Lausanne in August. He stayed in Switzerland for treatment afterward as eastern Zaire fell into civil war.
Switzerland canceled Mobutu’s visa when he left Nov. 4 to convalesce at his villa on the French Riviera.
The Swiss turned down his request for a new visa Monday.
“From our point of view, the medical urgency for a visa ended with the departure of Mobutu for France,” said Hans-Ruedi Bortis, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs.
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