I refer to the letter by Charles Briffa Akkademja Members’ Meeting With Presidents (January 4). In it he joined Joe Zammit Ciantar (Discord On The Maltese Language, December 29) in pointing out that I was incorrect when in the meeting in which President George Abela hosted Maltese authors in San Anton Palace on November 23 I stated that “it was the first time that the highest authority of the state was meeting Maltese authors”. The learned gentleman also provided detailed information on “several instances when different Presidents met Akkademja members formally”.

Here Prof. Briffa is mixing things up, very hopefully inadvertently. The November 23 meeting was not a meeting restricted to members of the Akkademja. It was a meeting in which not members of the Akkademja, but Maltese authors, including authors who are not members of the Akkademja (for example Dr Zammit Ciantar himself), were kindly hosted by the President. The several meetings mentioned by Prof. Briffa were meetings which involved council members of the Akkademja.

In actual fact, members of the incumbent council met Dr Abela at the same palace only a few days before the November 23 meeting, precisely on November 19.

In my speech of November 23 I was clearly referring not to the routine meetings between the Akka­demja’s council and the President but to that particular occasion in which the President of Malta hosted Maltese authors. For the benefit of those keen on correct historical records, it is also pertinent to point out that 55 Maltese authors attended the November 23 meeting and that, on an invitation by the council of the Akkademja, the authors, including some authors who were unable to accept the President’s invitation, presented copies of their publications to the President’s library.

The authors responded generously and the books presented on the occasion totalled 110.

Every contributing author later received a personalised letter of thanks from the President.