PM "Verheugen's prisoner" - Sant

Alfred Sant said yesterday Eddie Fenech Adami was "Verheugen's prisoner" because he was simply doing what the EU Commissioner for Enlargement was telling him to do.

The Labour leader shot down comments made by Gunther Verheugen during his visit to Malta last week, and reiterated his belief that the issue of EU membership should be decided at an election, not a referendum.

Dr Sant was speaking at a news conference at the airport on his return from New York together with Leo Brincat.

He laughed off Mr Verheugen's remark that one expected a democratic party to respect the decision of the people.

"If this were the case, why were the Irish told to decide once again?

"In Malta we have a government which has only one item on its programme, membership of the EU. On the other hand, we have a party which gives the EU its due importance but which also puts emphasis on other issues.

"And this is the real choice for the people. What is more democratic than an election which binds constitutionally and is not subject to manipulation?"

Dr Sant also shot down the EU survey carried out by Xarabank which showed that 38 per cent would vote in favour of EU membership while 21 per cent would vote against.

"You have to be gullible to believe these surveys because they have already been proven unreliable.

"But even if I favoured membership, and believed the results of the survey, I would be horrified."

He said the government had been forking out millions of liri to convince people about the benefits of membership.

Likewise, he said, The Times, The Independent, most radio stations, the Association of General Retailers and Traders, the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions, the Federation of Industry, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Malta Employers' Association were all stressing the benefits of membership.

Still, no fewer than 62 per cent of the survey respondents either disagreed with EU membership or were still undecided.

When asked about his visit to the US, Dr Sant denied he had met Phil Noble, the American consultant who had assisted the Labour Party in the last two electoral campaigns.

Dr Sant said the US had massive potential for investment, adding that after the next election, a new Labour government would exploit the contacts being made.

The Labour leader and Mr Brincat met with businessmen from different fields, ranging from the financial to the tourism sectors.

Because of Malta's size, the Labour Party preferred to deal with a particular region, rather than a country, and this was why it had focused on New York, Dr Sant said.

Despite the shock of the September 11 attacks, the economy in New York was moving at a steady pace and was generating new prospects.

The visit to New York was intended to create the right conditions for private initiative, he said.

Dr Sant said the MLP's option of a "partnership" rather than membership with the EU would create more avenues for potential investment from the US, as Malta would be able to create its own niche.

"It's a sin for the country to be dedicating all its resources in one direction and shelving other opportunities in other directions," he said.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party called Dr Sant's trip to New York another gimmick, noting that in his time as prime minister, investment had dried up as a direct result of freezing Malta's EU application.