Economic survival

I totally deny what Rainier Fsadni said about me (May 23), that under certain conditions I would consider a military rent agreement, with the EU, of the 1972-79 kind.

Mr Fsadni quotes my article in the Malta Independent of April 19 as the source of his assertion. In this article I stated my conviction that if Malta joins the EU as a member, it would not be able to avoid having to put our defence and strategic values at the service of the EU. Specifically I stated:

"In this scenario would Malta be able to resist the demand of the Union to put its military and defence values at the disposal of the Union? And if this happens what fate would tourism and industry have on a small island without an internal market which would look like a fully armoured aircraft carrier?

"And if we have to be economically obliged to use our defence and strategic values to earn our living would it not be more economically expedient to go for a rent agreement model 1972-1979, rather than giving up our sovereignty, leaving us no chips to negotiate with?

"Do we have to put the clock back to pre-1964 by denying this young nation the only card (its strategic and defence values) it has to leverage a decent living in a highly competitive and globalised world?

"The scenario I dream is that of a disciplined nation with a Singapore style economy trading with the whole world as a competitive island state whilst preserving its own identity and keeping its strategic properties as a card to leverage value in making deals which its richer neighbours."

It is my conviction, oft professed in my writings, that Malta should avoid being obliged to resort to using its defence and strategic values for economic survival and should in fact use its neutral status for achieving economic growth.