Getting all on board

The meeting on migration and development in Tripoli, preceded by the preparatory meeting of senior officials in Valletta, was another example of Maltese-Libyan collaboration and how much we can achieve together when we combine our action in the search for a common goal.

It was in the second quarter of 2005 when I met Abdul Rahman Shalgam, Libyan Secretary for Foreign Affairs, in his Sirte offices, that we started speaking about the possibility of a conference on illegal immigration composed of high representation from the countries of origin, transit and destination. We agreed to prepare a non-paper and submit it to the Western Mediterranean Forum of Foreign Ministers (5+5) comprising the Foreign Ministers of the Maghreb on one side, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya together with Malta, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.

The joint Libyan-Maltese non-paper was presented at the Valletta 5+5 meeting in June last year. As the holder of the presidency of the meeting, the other ministers agreed to mandate me to write to EU Commissioner Franco Frattini to communicate the concept agreed to at our meeting and to ask the Commission to actively address this issue. The joint paper itself asked for a high level meeting of countries of origin, transit and destination to be held in Tripoli in 2006.

On the margins of the Rabat meeting, where Malta participated extensively and which covered the same theme but concentrating on the western route, it was agreed that the preparatory meeting for the Tripoli conference would be held in Malta. The Malta meeting laid the groundwork for a consensus declaration to be adopted in Tripoli. Malta remained involved with the EU troika, AU troika and a few others, right throughout the negotiation of the text in Tripoli.

The Tripoli conference was an important milestone in what is inevitably a process that needs to be continued and to be further strengthened. The news carried by Italian media, that Libya would participate in Frontex missions to patrol its coast as long as these are entrusted to Italy and to Malta, is indeed encouraging.

We need to have Libya on board to address this problem effectively. Libya has its own illegal immigration problem running into millions on its soil permeating through its soft desert border. Past experience in the Middle East has shown that when countries of transit and destination come together they can effectively remove or dampen the attractiveness of their route to the criminal gangs organising illegal immigration. This is even more urgent since action is being taken on the western routes through Morocco and Spain. I have repeatedly said that the Frontex patrols were needed - and they happened - in the central Mediterranean route to show we are no soft target. This thinking is even more valid today.

Malta appreciates Libya's predicament and it is also clear that Libya increasingly - as does the international community and the European Union in particular - understands the great difficulties caused to Malta as a country of destination with one of the highest population densities in the world, 1,200 persons per square kilometre. This is by far the highest density of population for any EU member state.

We need to help each other to combat this phenomenon which is putting people's lives at risk, denuding countries of origin of valuable human capital, and enriching the criminal gangs that have networks stretching all over Africa and beyond.

The issue must be addressed holistically and in a balanced manner, with greater and more effective development aid, creation of job opportunities, foreign direct investment, good governance, policing of borders, repatriation of illegal immigrants, protection for refugees and persons with humanitarian status and bringing criminal gangs to justice. We need to be equally vigorous on each of these fronts.

Getting the EU-AU migration and development conference to be held in Libya last week was a major achievement for Maltese and Libyan diplomatic services and for our joint collaboration. Hats off to the Libyan organisation of the conference in Tripoli, incidentally held within walking distance of the Maltese-Libyan Corinthia Bab Africa where most delegations stayed. Collaboration and joint action not only makes us stronger. It also makes us all part of the solution.

Dr Frendo is Minister of Foreign Affairs.