Former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici yesterday urged the Maltese who left Libya to return to take up projects abandoned by foreigners who escaped the conflict, saying the western part of the country is safe.
Known for his close ties with Libya, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the government should not create obstacles for those who wanted to return, adding that the decision to evacuate them from Libya in the first place was “a mistake”.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici, who was in Tripoli last week attending a conference on Libyan tribes, to which he received a personal invitation, said he met Libyan government officials who told him Maltese workers should return.
He said commercial activity, especially in the Libyan capital, had carried on, despite the crisis in the country. The officials felt that Maltese should take advantage of the situation by taking up projects abandoned by foreigners who had fled Libya and making them their own.
The government should ensure that Nato forces do not obstruct the transportation of Maltese to Libya, he said. Sea transport sanctions should be suspended. He also called for the reactivation of the daily sea trip between Malta and Tripoli.
He added that it was “a lie” that Nato was acting to protect civilians, and he had seen schools, hospitals and offices hit by Nato bombs.
It was “scandalous” that Malta had refused to mediate to secure a ceasefire, he insisted. Bringing about a ceasefire was the biggest form of humanitarian aid that Malta could give.
Quoting a Libyan government official whom he met but refused to name, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the Libyan government was prepared to discuss changes and reform, but a ceasefire had to be unconditional.
“The rebels have no right to insist that Gaddafi should step down before a ceasefire is considered, and, likewise, (Barack) Obama, (David) Cameron, (Nicolas) Sarkozy, (Silvio) Berlusconi and (Lawrence) Gonzi have no right to make these demands,” he said.
Asked whether he could vouch for the sincerity of the Libyan government on its promises of a ceasefire, especially in view of broken promises in the past, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said: “I cannot vouch for anyone’s sincerity, but it has to be tried and tested for us to say that it will not respect it.”
With regard to the landing of French Mirage jets over the past few weeks, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said Malta was breaching the Constitutional provisions on neutrality when it allowed them to land several times in Malta under one pretext or another, which he said were “excuses”.
Sicily is just a stone’s throw away and they could have landed there had they wanted to, he said.