The Times’ debate on Libya reborn

Optimism and enthusiasm characterised yesterday’s debate about Malta’s role in rebuilding Libya, organised by The Times.

When Gaddafi sent patrol boats to shoot at us it was a very dark chapter in our history

Businessmen flocked to listen to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and to representatives from Libya’s National Transitional Council, who flew in specifically for the event.

Yet instead of entering into any heated discussions, most of the attendees kept quiet until they began networking.

Dr Gonzi, who laid out his vision of Malta as a crucial player in the rebirth of North Africa, was showered with praise and applause throughout for his handling of the crisis.

The debate, hosted by Intercontinental Malta in St Julians, is the second in a quarterly series called Times To Debate, chaired by The Sunday Times deputy editor Herman Grech.

It focused on Malta’s role in rebuilding Libya but the panel also delved into topical aspects like oil exploration and illegal immigration.

Sitting with Dr Gonzi on the panel was Libyan ambassador Saadun Suayeh and the NTC’s transport spokesman Mohamed Sayeh.

Resolving oil ­disputes

Dr Sayeh may not have the mandate to commit the future Libyan government but he was quick to say that disputes over oil exploration between Libya and Malta would be resolved.

The Prime Minister said he had “broached” the subject with the NTC but proper discussions would wait until the situation in Libya settles down.

Referring to past instances when the Gaddafi regime stopped Malta from carrying out oil exploration, Dr Gonzi said those times represented “a very dark chapter” in relations.

“When Gaddafi sent patrol boats to shoot at us it was a very dark chapter in our history and I hope the future will present an opportunity for us to redress, change and fix this.

“But these are pleasures yet to come,” he said. “(When the time comes) I expect to have an open, clear, friendly solution... not just discussions... with a country that has found us shoulder to shoulder in difficult times,” he said, stressing this injustice had to be remedied. Dr Sayeh responded without hesitation, saying “everything will be solved” on the basis of friendship. Professionals, including legal experts, would establish the “legal” way forward, unlike what happened when Gaddafi was in power.

Stemming illegal immigration

Dr Sayeh was equally forthcoming when asked about illegal immigration, which he said Libya could “minimise” with relative ease.

Gaddafi used illegal immigration as a bargaining chip against Europe and therefore encouraged Africans to flow into Libya unchecked, he said. Although the matter had not yet been discussed by the council, he was confident things would change.

Ambassador Suayeh backed Dr Sayeh’s claim that migration was encouraged by Gaddafi. In his year as ambassador, he said, he was often naively “baffled” by some of the things he witnessed. Without going into detail, he said he now realised immigration was used “systematically” by the regime.

Meanwhile, Dr Gonzi said migration channels had since the Libyan conflict been redirected through Tunisia and Egypt, meaning Malta was being missed.

However, he appealed for all three recently liberated North African countries to create the necessary instruments to deal with asylum seekers to ensure they did not make the treacherous journey by sea to Europe.

Dr Gonzi also shrugged off criticism that he supported Italy and Gaddafi’s pushback policy, where migrants rescued at sea were returned to Libya.

He said he never refused to rescue a boat in distress and was often criticised for saving people.

Treating humans like humans

Dr Gonzi said he encouraged Libya’s interim leaders to sign international conventions and agreements, particularly those dealing with refugees, to send a strong signal to other countries that the new Libya wanted to respect human rights and dignity.

Dr Sayeh welcomed this suggestion immediately.

“We carried out this revolution to see humans live as humans... So we will be the first to sign these agreements,” he said, perhaps overstepping his mandate as transport spokesman.

Dr Sayeh said the new Libya was already taking pride in treating humans humanely. He said Gaddafi loyalists who were arrested for trying to kill civilians were being kept in prison.

“But it is a five-star jail...They even have a menu to select the food they want to eat.

“They are criminals but we don’t want to be like (Gaddafi).” Dr Sayeh also promised them a fair trial once the judicial system took root.

However, he added that the NTC was working on a “shame list” of people who helped Gaddafi attack his people, such as those pilots who flew in mercenaries.

“We will forgive, but we will not forget,” he warned.

Libya-Malta ­relations

The good relations between Malta and Libya were highlighted throughout the debate.

Dr Gonzi said Libya was Malta’s closest neighbour, while Dr Sayeh went a step further saying Libyans and Maltese were one and the same.

After thanking Malta for its humanitarian efforts, Dr Sayeh said: “Actually, we don’t even have to thank you. We are brothers and neighbours. We have always helped each other.”

He recalled a time when Malta had a seat in one of Libya’s institutions and jokingly said Libya would guarantee a seat for Malta in its new parliament.

When asked about Islamist elements in Libya, he insisted there were no extremists in the country and although Gaddafi instilled this fear in every country, he surely could not have done so with the Maltese.

“You are not just friends and neighbours. You are us. We live together,” he said, pointing out that intermarriage has also had an impact in this regard.

Alternattiva Demokratika spokesman Arnold Cassola interjected to point out the darker side of cooperation between Libya and Malta, and called for a public inquiry into allegations of illicit dealings.

While Dr Gonzi acknowledged some questions had to be answered, he appealed for people to focus on the future not the past. He said Malta was in the “best possible position” to contribute and benefit from stability in the region.

Those who attended the debate strongly applauded this sentiment.

Malta’s humanitarian efforts

A representative from Malta Red Cross officially confirmed plans to set up a field hospital in Malta, saying it could even cater for 500 injured Libyans. John Micallef Moreno stressed the hospital would not be paid for by the government and all supplies and volunteers would come from the International Federation of Red Cross.

Dr Gonzi said various options were being explored regarding the hospital’s location, including the old St Luke’s Hospital and St Philip’s Hospital.

Businessman Mario Debono from Malta-based NGO I-Go Aid appealed for the Maltese to help send medicines and supplies to the worst hit areas.

Another businessman, Mark von Brockdorff, went a step further saying Malta should create a Marshall plan. He referred to the old military hospital in Mtarfa (which has since been turned into a school) as a potential location for a field hospital and also suggested sending 1,000 Maltese “good Samaritans” to go help clean up Libya.

Dr Sayeh expressed excitement at these prospects, but Dr Gonzi warned against oversimplifying the matter.

He said many of the Libyans who came to Malta for treatment were seriously wounded, “with bullets in their brains”, and required the best service, not something makeshift.

Referring to the plane of injured Libyans which flew to Greece on Monday instead of Malta, he said Malta could not provide more intensive care because its ITU was “full”. But he said non-critical cases could still be catered for.

“We have been doing whatever is possible: nothing more, nothing less,” he said.

Business relations

Although Dr Gonzi made it clear the priority was achieving stability in the region, he also told businesses to be proactive, identifying sectors for growth, including English teaching, IT, manufacturing, tourism and logistics.

Since oil was a finite resource, Libya should now expand its economy in other areas, he said.

Dr Sayeh said Libyans and Maltese alike had suffered because of corruption and the new Libya would work to eradicate it. But the Maltese, because of their intimate knowledge of Libya, would have a better chance than other countries, despite fiercer competition.

Dr Gonzi said businesses should form consortiums to seize large opportunities.

Former ambassador’s ‘dignified silence’

After keeping a very low profile since returning from Libya, Malta’s ambassador George Cassar spoke out for the first time yesterday, saying his silence was “dignified”.

He said he had kept quiet because after his recall, the matter was taken in the hands of the Prime Minister, whom he commended for taking tough decisions which rightly focused on Malta’s humanitarian role.

Addressing Dr Gonzi during the debate, Mr Cassar said: “Although we had just met the leader (Gaddafi) just a few days before the uprising, you had the good judgment and courage to come out and say he lost his credibility as soon as he fired the first bullets on his own people.”

Mr Cassar said the world had been taken for a ride by Gaddafi’s son Saif, touted by many to be a modern reformer, and things escalated when he began pointing fingers and calling people rats.

Calling the Libyans “wonderful, genuine and peaceful people”, Mr Cassar, who has kept a very low profile since returning from Libya at the start of the conflict, said he looked forward to a fairer and more educated Libya.