Sant confirms referendum plans

Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday confirmed a new Labour government would hold a referendum on whether the people wanted "full" membership or "partnership" with the European Union.

He said the referendum would take place after a Labour government would have proposed a "partnership" agreement with the EU and finalised negotiations. The Labour Party quoted him as saying the government would then accept the decision and implement it.

Dr Sant's pledge was immediately described by the prime minister as a promise of long years of worry and uncertainty.

Speaking on the Super One TV programme Qribna, Dr Sant said a new Labour government would make a genuine effort to strike an agreement with the opposition on how the referendum could be held in the best possible way for everyone.

On Tuesday, The Times reported that Labour was actively considering proposing the holding of another referendum if it wins the election, in a bid to win back supporters who had voted yes in the March 8 referendum.

Dr Sant yesterday said that beyond "partnership" with the EU, a Labour government would strive to strengthen political and economic ties with the US and Canada, with North African countries, especially Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, with Russia, China and Australia.

The Nationalist Party later quoted Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami as saying that Dr Sant wanted to make Malta lose the chance of joining the EU.

The Labour leader himself had admitted that negotiating a partnership agreement - and no one knew where this would lead - could take up to 10 years, said the prime minister. What he was now saying meant he wanted to cause worry and uncertainty for Malta in order to get his own way.

This was another of Dr Sant's "gimmicks", aimed at winning back Labour voters who had voted yes in the referendum on EU membership.

A new Nationalist government would sign the Accession Treaty on April 16. Not doing so would be missing the chance to join the EU.