The government can never ever tolerate a situation where Maltese fishermen going about their business according to local and international law are attacked and obstructed, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning.

It was for this reason, he said, that the government had authorised the intervention of the AFM last week in clashes between fishermen and tuna fishing protesters. That intervention had been crucial to prevent further injuries and damages.

Dr Gonzi was referring to clashes which took place in the waters between Libya and Malta between Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace protesters and Maltese tuna fishermen.

"For as long as our fishermen operate according to the law, they will have the protection of the governemnt with all available resources and also the protection of the international community," Dr Gonzi said.

"We respect the NGOs but no one can justify his cause through illegal means".

SPORTS VILLAGE TALKS CONTINUING

Replying to questions during a political conference, Dr Gonzi said the government would issue full details on the White Rocks Sports Village as soon as talks with the developers were completed.

He said that the concept and the basic details had been agreed with the developers but talks on the details were continuing. Outstanding points included the time span of the concession, the number of jobs - whether that would be 800 or more, and the investment - whether it would be €200m or more. He pointed out, however, that the site would remain government-owned.

Once the talks were concluded, the government would present the whole project for parliamentary scrutiny, he said. The green light would also be required from Mepa.

Dr Gonzi said this project would be a gem and a gift to the Maltese sporting community. The government could have used this prime site to make money, he said, but the priority was for Malta to have new, modern facilities, even though he was confident that in the future, the project would also yield financial dividends.