Malta, Italy, Libya agree to enhance cooperation

Malta, Italy and Libya have agreed to forge ahead to find a solution to illegal migration, primarily by treating the problem at source with the countries of origin.

The foreign ministers of the three countries finally met in Rome on Tuesday, a meeting originally proposed by Malta and which was supposed to be held in December. It was then postponed to March and delayed further. Tuesday's meeting was held to coincide with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's visit to Italy.

Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg, his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini and Libya's Mussa Kussa acknowledged the importance of enhanced cooperation, especially on the trafficking in human beings.

They agreed the EU had to assume a role to address the problem holistically and at source with the countries of origin.

Italy and Malta pledged their support to see the Framework Agreement between Libya and the EU concluded by the end of the present Commission's term.

It was also agreed that meetings at the tripartite level should continue in the future.

Observers told The Times that Col. Gaddafi's visit to Italy, his first since 1977, indicated that Libya wanted to do something about the problem. In fact, they said, although the weather was fine, no boats carrying illegal immigrants were arriving from Libya.

Col. Gaddafi's visit seals a major rapprochement since Italy signed a deal with its former colony last year, pledging €3.5 billion over the next 25 years in compensation for colonising the north African country from 1911 to 1947.

Col. Gaddafi, the Arab world's longest-serving leader who has been in power since 1969, will attend next month's Group of Eight summit in Italy in his capacity as rotating President of the African Union.