Air Malta will be taking part in the humanitarian operation to airlift thousands of Egyptians who are stranded in Tunisia after fleeing the unrest in Libya.

Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici yesterday said the government would finance six Air Malta flights to Djerba to evacuate some 900 Egyptians and fly them back to Cairo.

Meanwhile, the EU has ann-ounced it is trebling its financial aid to help ease the humanitarian crisis on the Egyptian and Tunisian borders, with a contribution of €30 million. The airlift, in fact, is one aspect of a wider humanitarian operation to help people uprooted by the Libyan crisis. Another problem being faced is a shortage of medical supplies in Libyan hospitals.

The government is calling on people to donate money to buy medicines and deliver them to hospitals in Libya. The operation is being coordinated by the Civil Protection Department and a number of bank accounts have been opened to this effect.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said it was easier to deliver medical supplies to the opposition-controlled Benghazi area in eastern Libya but did not rule out other areas if it was possible to do so. On Wednesday Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said Libya did not need aid and warned that anybody requesting it would be committing treason.

“Irrespective of the political rhetoric, if medical supplies are required in other parts of Libya and it is possible to deliver them safely, we will strive to do so,” Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

Reacting to a request by the Eritrean community in Malta for the international community to help evacuate around 2,000 Eritrean asylum seekers stranded in Tripoli, the minister said the government supported the request but was non-committal about concrete action.

He said the government would support any action requested by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, which is best placed to assess the situation on the ground.

Asked about fears being voiced by some people that Malta could come under attack, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said this was a very remote possibility at this point in time.

He also denied media reports that the government was given an ultimatum by the Libyan government for the return of the two Mirage fighter jets that were flown to Malta after their pilots defected.

Giving the latest evacuation figures, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said 14,039 evacuees had passed through Malta – 4,000 of them by air.

A total of 254 Maltese had returned home and three were on their way. Another three were on an oil rig at sea and arrangements were being made for the evacuation of another two. There were 31 Maltese nationals who did not want to return.

In the coming days some 18,000 Indians will also be evacuated to Malta by sea and arrangements were made to fly them out of the country as happened with the large Chinese contingent.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com

Medicines for Libya

Bank accounts for donations

HSBC – 078-002391-050

BOV – 40018758443

Lombard Bank – 01440800001

APS Bank – 20000889551

Banif Bank – 00083224181

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