Med. Forum urged to meet in Malta

Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi has called for the next meeting of the Mediterranean Forum to be held in Malta in 2005.

The forum is a parliamentary grouping on the Mediterranean within the OSCE Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Dr Azzopardi said he was surprised at how well his call was received after he made it at a recent meeting of the forum in Rome.

Dr Azzopardi, who was speaking in parliament, said that the trade gap in the Mediterranean was clearly the root cause of illegal migration from south to north. Mediterranean countries, therefore, needed to explore how to improve trade exchanges.

He observed that in the context of population and size, Malta had received the highest number of illegal immigrants compared to neighbouring countries, a situation which Italy had recognised.

Illegal immigration was not a Mediterranean problem but a European one. It was important that it was analysed in depth and he had therefore suggested the creation of a permanent mechanism within the OSCE for this purpose.

Dr Azzopardi said he had also backed a proposal by the Canadian representative on the council for the creation of a Mediterranean Economic Council since those countries which had made economic progress had also improved politically.

The proposed new council would be on the lines of the European Economic Council.

Dr Azzopardi suggested that Malta could host the headquarters of the new council.