Maltese army officials arrive in Libya this morning in a bid to establish clear areas of responsibility for search and rescue in this part of the Mediterranean.
The government is hoping that the two-day meetings between Malta and Libya will lead to a breakthrough in the constant wrangle over illegal immigration.
An AFM patrol vessel left for Tripoli yesterday following a rare invitation by Libya to tackle issues of cooperation at sea.
"Only time will tell whether this meeting is going to be a success but ultimately it's a very positive sign that the Libyans themselves have requested this meeting," AFM Commander Brigadier Carmel Vassallo told The Times.
In the umpteenth appeal recently, President Eddie Fenech Adami asked Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi for his "special understanding" of Malta's situation vis-à-vis the problem of illegal immigration.
Today's meeting - the result of a Malta/Libya joint committee last February - will also discuss the possibility of training Libyan rescue officials in Malta.
Several months ago, the AFM had given their Libyan counterparts a draft of a Search and Rescue agreement, similar to the one negotiated with the Greek authorities.
The agreement would aim to establish clear points of responsibility and demarcation as well as identify the proper contact details in cases of sea rescue, Brig. Vassallo explained.
Malta's Ambassador to Libya, Joseph Cassar, also deems today's meeting as very important.
Though the two countries clearly need to strengthen communication, Dr Cassar said it was wrong for countries to accuse Libya of turning a blind eye.
"Libya's problem is its size, its enormous coastline. There is a growing level of cooperation and these meetings are meant to consolidate that. Libya is showing willingness to speak," he said.
As scores of attempted crossings from Africa to Europe turned the Mediterranean into a watery grave, Libya was repeatedly accused of refusing to assist migrants in distress. On the other hand, despite the international flak, the AFM refused to enter Libyan waters when distress calls were made.
In the most talked-about incident in May, 27 illegal migrants were forced to cling on to a Maltese-owned tuna pen in Libyan SAR waters for nearly 24 hours after the owner refused to take the men on board his boat.
Three months later, the problem of illegal immigration is not tailing off. Yesterday, a group of 15 starving African migrants, found drifting in an open boat with a dead body off the Canary Islands, explained how 11 other passengers died and were thrown overboard.
The tiny island of Lampedusa is once again struggling with illegal immigrants as 123 individuals landed in three separate boats yesterday.
Brig. Vassallo is disconcerted by Italian media claims that the AFM recently rerouted a group of 260 illegal immigrants to Lampedusa.
"We spent two days accompanying that boat and provided its occupants with life jackets, but they kept insisting they did not want to land in Malta," he said.