Palestinian Authority to keep Malta embassy

The Palestinian Authority has decided to retain its diplomatic presence in Malta under its new foreign policy plan, Dr Ahmed Sobok, the deputy Palestinian Foreign Minister, told Labour's International Secretary Joe Mifsud during a recent meeting in Bethlehem.

Originally it was planned to close the Palestinian embassy in Malta but as the embassy was the Palestinian Authority's first in Europe and in view of Maltese sympathy for the Palestinian cause, the Authority reconsidered.

During a visit to the Palestinian territories and Israel, Dr Mifsud met Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Bethlehem, who outlined the latest developments in negotiations with Israel. He listed six crucial issues on which agreement has to be reached before a Palestinian state can be established.

Dr Mifsud also met Palestinian leader Mustafa Barghouti, Ambassador Nabil Ramlawi and Mahmud Ladadi, both Fatah representatives, Abdulla Abdullah, chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council's political committee, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabah.

At a meeting with the deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Colette Avital, Dr Mifsud was briefed on the current political uncertainty in Israel: early elections could be called if the coalition collapsed. Following a hard-fought election, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has been named the Labour Party's new leader. He will be the party's candidate for prime minister.

During the meetings, Dr Mifsud proposed that as soon as the conflict is resolved, an international observation mechanism should be put in place within the United Nations and the European Union to ensure that the terms of the agreement are respected. Dr Mifsud, whose proposal was met with interest, pointed out that such a mechanism was not put in place for the Oslo Accords.

In Bethlehem, Dr Mifsud also met with members of the Maltese community who work among local Catholics, with the clergy of the Church of the Nativity, and with municipal authorities in view of the potential twinning of Bethlehem with Maltese or Gozitan villages.