Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday called on both parties in Parliament to start debating divorce, adding that the government's focus on cohabitation was a political strategy aimed as postponing essential reforms.

AD also accused the government of abdicating its responsibility by giving the Catholic Church a monopoly on pre-marriage education. This meant that those who did not opt for a Catholic marriage were being excluded from any form of education in this regard, party chairman Michael Briguglio said.

He added that while AD was pleased something was being done with regards to cohabitation "such legislation will not compensate (for) the lack of rights and legislation on other areas which concern basic rights of non-married couples - like those concerning divorce, siblings living together and same-sex couples.

"It is very unfortunate that the Nationalist parliamentary group is refusing to read the signs of the times, and is therefore burying its head in the sand on such important issues as divorce.

"Labour on the other hand, is adopting a catch-all approach by trying to please everyone at the same time. It is more than evident that the Labourite proposal for a parliamentary free-vote on divorce will be defeated, due to the opposition of certain Labour MPs," he said.

Mr Briguglio said there was a need for political courage and action, which was why AD wrote to the Social Affairs Committee about its position. It also submitted the legislation of Ireland and Italy - two countries with a Catholic heritage - to be used as a starting point for the drafting of the divorce law.

AD spokesman on civil rights Yvonne Arqueros Ebejer said: "The Church has every right to say it is against divorce and that its followers should abide by its teachings. But, here one must appreciate that in modern secular societies, where respect of civil rights take centre stage, being a Catholic is one identity among others. No one is obliged to divorce but the possibility of divorce should exist as a basic civil right."