A representative of the Libyan Transitional Council met Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this evening and thanked Malta for the support shown towards the Libyan people.

“We know what Malta is doing. We are grateful and we thank you. You are our neighbours and we will build our future together. We need you and your skills and we are proud of our friendship,” said former Libyan foreign minister Abdel Rahman Shalgam.

Mr Shalgam, who had publicly renounced Muammar Gaddafi’s regime during a high profile speech at the UN in February, is now the council’s emissary to the UN.

It is not known whether he came to Malta to ask for the government to officially recognise the council – a step that has not yet been taken. However, this meeting took place in the wake of pressure by Maltese businessmen for Malta to set up a representation office in council stronghold Benghazi.

Mr Shalgam told Dr Gonzi that Gaddafi’s forces had killed 13,000 civilians and in Tripoli alone some 25,000 people were imprisoned. He added that 350 cases of rape had also been recorded.

Dr Gonzi, who met Mr Shalgam in the presence of Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, reiterated Malta’s call that Gaddafi should step down and allow for peaceful transition. He said Malta had done its utmost in terms of humanitarian assistance and imposed the sanctions to the letter.

“We are as close as possible to the Libyan people,” Dr Gonzi said.

Meanwhile, Mr Shalgam said the Libyan people only wanted freedom but Gaddafi treated them like criminals – killing unarmed civilians.

He said defector Moussa Koussa told him that Gaddafi had ordered him to get out of his office and “kill, destroy and rape the savages”, showing how “completely disconnected” he was.