Malta-Libya meeting on oil exploration

Malta and Libya are expected to have a technical meeting shortly on joint exploration of areas of the continental shelf between the two countries which were not conclusively decided in the boundary ruling of the International Court of Justice in 1986, the prime minister said in parliament yesterday.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Mr Joe Mizzi (MLP), Dr Fenech Adami said that talks with Libyan Prime Minister Shokry Chanim last week included the ruling of the international court on the delineation of the continental shelf and a proposal by Malta for an agreement on joint exploration of those parts of the continental shelf not definitely decided by the court.

The two countries had gone before the court after Libya in 1980 sent a gunboat and a submarine to stop oil exploration by Malta in the Medina Bank, which Libya claimed to be part of its territory for oil exploration purposes.

Dr Fenech Adami said funds from the Italian financial protocol were not earmarked for oil exploration.