Visas to Libya still being 'delayed'

Maltese who work in Libya are still coming up against "undue delays" in obtaining a visa, informed sources told The Times yesterday.

The sources said the government was looking into the matter in order to speed things up.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that this sticky issue was among the subjects that Foreign Minister Michael Frendo discussed with his Libyan counterpart in Tripoli at the weekend.

Visa requirements between Malta and Libya came into force when Malta joined the EU on May 1.

Maltese entrepreneurs doing business with Libya immediately started complaining that it was taking too long to be issued with a visa to visit the country, which requires them to be in possession of an "invitation" to visit.

Earlier this month, Libya pledged that the invitation would no longer be required, following a visit by former Foreign Minister John Dalli. This, the ministry had said, meant there would be "full reciprocity" in the way the two countries processed applications leading to the issue of visas.

However, since then there has been practically no improvement in the situation.

Yesterday, the ministry spokesman said the government was committed to facilitating the movement of visitors from Libya to Malta, adding that in order to achieve this aim within the minimum amount of time, the government was in the process of refurbishing a property in Tripoli which would accommodate a consulate to process visa applications by Libyan nationals as fast as possible.

Since May 1, the Maltese consulate in Libya has processed about 3,000 visa applications for Libyans wanting to visit Malta. It is understood that the discussions in Tripoli focused on the principle of reciprocity, with the government expecting that this speeded-up process would be reciprocated by the Libyans.

"There is definitely a very warm feeling towards Maltese in Libya. It is merely a question of speeding up the process to get visas issued," the sources said.

A number of Maltese who work in Libya and who spoke to The Times said they had been held up in Malta for the past two months awaiting a visa.

"We fear that this unnecessary delay could result in the loss of our jobs," the workers claimed.

The sources noted, however, that they were not aware of requests for visas pending for such a long time.