Editorial

Over the years the people have come to take any new positive development in the island's oil exploration drive either with a pinch of salt or very cautiously. Such scepticism is only natural considering the utterly disappointing experience the island has had in its attempts to strike oil in commercial quantities ever since it first started exploring for oil on land in Naxxar many years ago.

Even so, news of the agreement reached with Tunisia for joint oil exploration is highly significant and should not be brushed aside in the current political campaign by Labour, generally seen to be aimed at reducing the value of positive developments.

It is unwise to be over-optimistic about prospects of striking oil at a stage when the two countries have yet to hammer out details of the agreement just reached, but the accord at least opens a new chapter in the island's oil exploration drive. Foreign Minister Michael Frendo has said the agreement is a major breakthrough as it has resolved an issue that had been pending for 35 years. And so it is, even if the two parties have yet to translate words into action.

Over the coming two weeks, a team of experts from the two countries will be working on the determination of zones on the continental shelf where joint oil exploration could be carried out. They will be given three months within which to report back to their governments.

Although much will depend on the work of this team for the agreement to be put into effect, it goes without saying that the move dismantles a major stumbling block in the exploration drive. The minister has said that "taken forward, it would open up tremendous opportunities" for oil exploration between the two countries. However, until the experts' work is done, there is very little else that can be said about the agreement, except that it may well also help bring about greater developments in economic cooperation between Malta and Tunisia.

Speaking at a press conference on the agreement earlier this week, the minister said they did not exclude reaching agreement "with whichever of our neighbours, whether Libya or Italy in particular". When asked whether there had been any discussions with Libya, he said he had talks with one Libyan minister in January and that they had agreed to continue with technical discussions on the subject.

Joint exploration would appear to be a practical approach to take in cases where two or more parties are involved in disputes over the delineation of zones.

The agreement with Tunisia comes only a few days after The Times called on the government to give an account of the situation in the oil exploration drive. The matter was also raised in Parliament by a Labour MP, but it appears that the government is as yet reluctant to give an overall, detailed review of the situation. In a matter of such importance, one that could well help change the face of the economy, the government ought to be more open.

For example, has it ever formally discussed with the Italian government the possibility of carrying out joint exploration with Italy? If it has, what had been Italy's reaction? Some time ago, the minister said that comments, at this stage, on the talks they were having with Libya might prejudice the issue. No one would want the government to do this, but it could at least give an outline of the situation so that the people would have a better idea of where the country stands.