Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday rejected an opposition request to hold an emergency debate on illegal immigration but suggested that such a discussion be held on a date agreed upon between the two sides.

He was reacting to a call by Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat that the House suspend its agenda and hold the debate as a matter of urgency and national importance. On the strength of Dr Gonzi's statement, Dr Muscat withdrew his request.

The date of the debate will be decided during the House Business Committee meeting of March 16.

At the beginning of the sitting, Dr Muscat asked whether the government intended to make a ministerial statement on the arrival in Malta of 227 illegal persons in the morning.

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said he did not know whether the government intended to make such a statement but he was ready to convey the opposition's request.

In view of Mr Fenech's reply, Dr Muscat called for the adjournment of the House to discuss the issue which, he said, was urgent and in the public interest. He said that the arrival of 604 illegal immigrants in February alone - amounting to 22 per cent of all the illegal immigrants which arrived in Malta in 2008 - was of grave concern. The situation was a threat to the social fabric; however, one had to be sincere and treat the issue with urgency.

Dr Gonzi replied that it was not the government's intention to make a parliamentary statement because the situation was not different from the circumstance similar to other cases.

He agreed that the arrival of 223 illegal immigrants was one of concern. The indication was that these were Somali nationals but investigations had still to be concluded.

Many of the illegal immigrants who arrived in Malta in the last two weeks came from third world countries. The repatriation process of these immigrants had started. More immigrants had been repatriated than a neighbouring country had boasted of doing two days ago.

Dr Gonzi said both sides of the House were looking at all dimensions of illegal immigration in the same way. Nothing seemed to politically separate both sides on the issue. He said that there was no need to adjourn the House and declared that government and the opposition could agree on a date when to hold a parliamentary debate.

Dr Muscat said that it was a fact that people had the sensation that the government was avoiding discussing the issue which could explode if not tackled immediately in all its aspects. The point was that only in July had the number of illegal immigrants surpassed the number arriving in February.

He said a Labour government would have reacted differently to the issue in the European fora. Not discussing the issue was creating a xenophobic sentiment. He was ready to withdraw his request for the adjournment of the House once both sides arrived at an early date for the debate. He suggested that for the discussion to be free, no vote should be taken.

Accepting that there be no vote at the end of the debate, the Prime Minister said that he agreed on an open and sincere discussion built on human values.

He disagreed that the government had buried the issue, adding that on his return from visits abroad he had always made statements in the House and these included talks on illegal immigration.

Dr Gonzi said he had always maintained that the illegal immigrants were innocent victims of circumstances, which the Maltese had to acknowledge. It was Parliament's duty to make everybody understand that Malta, being a small country, expected solidarity in practice through assistance given as a human right.

He disagreed with Dr Muscat that the government was avoiding the issue. The government had nothing to hide, wanted to face the problem and to arrive at just solutions. The issue had to be addressed from the acknowledgement that the opposition had good intentions on the matter. The real test was whether everyone stood by the values one believed in.

Dr Muscat declared that such a debate could not be delayed any longer. The opposition had managed to make the government budge to discuss the issue.

Dr Gonzi said that only a few weeks before, Interior Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici had invited Dr Muscat and, at a meeting attended by AFM and police officials, had given a him full explanation of the full dimension of the problem. He was informed the meeting was cordial and positive.

When the opposition knew the entire facts, Dr Gonzi said, he could not understand how the opposition had arrived at its conclusions. The government wanted to be constructive and both sides had to convey the message that they were working together on the issue.

In conclusion, Dr Gonzi declared that the real challenge posed by the problem was the challenge to the values of the Maltese. This was a grave problem which was bound to become worse as a result of the global crisis. The parliamentary debate could give a message of the values of the Maltese.

Mr Speaker Louis Galea said that the House Business Committee would decide on the date of the debate when it meets next month.