Malta makes proposal to Libya and Italy on continental shelf issue
Malta has made a proposal to Libya and Italy as a possible solution to the continental shelf issue, which has been pending for years, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said this morning.
An agreement is needed so that oil exploration can take place.
Speaking in Parliament during the budget debate on the financial estimates of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Dr Borg said that Malta's pretentions were based on what was decided by the International Court of Justice in 1985.
This had limited its decision to the area where the Maltese and Libyan waters faced each other but did not establish the median line to the east and the west, which were also contested, especially the east where both Libya and Italy had certain expectations, Dr Borg said.
(That case had been instituted after Libya sent a gunboat to stop oil exploration on a section of the Medina Bank which Libya claimed as its own territory).
Malta, Dr Borg said, believed that the best solution was joint exploration by all the countries concerned but this could not be done before agreement was reached.
He said that none of the three countries (Malta, Libya or Italy) were drilling for oil in the contested areas.
The Foreign Minister spoke extensively about the conflict in Libya and Malta's humanitarian involvement in the matter. The country did not involve itself in military operations, unless their aim was humanitarian, he said.
Dr Borg said the government was in favour of not allowing the country to be used as a foreign base or in a military alliance.
But neutrality was not an aim in itself but a tool for one to reach the desired aims. Malta could not remain neutral to a request by the British government for assistance to get people who were abandoned in the desert through a military operation.
In the Libyan conflict, Malta had assisted 100 of the 193 United Nations countries, evacuating 20,000 foreigners from Libya through Malta, 5,000 of them Chinese citizens.
On EU sanctions which on Libyan and Iran, the minister said that to protect those who had already signed contracts with these countries before the sanctions were put in place it introduced a clause saying that the sanctions would not apply to previously signed contracts.
On EU sanctions which on Libyan and Iran, the minister said that to protect those who had already signed contracts with these countries before the sanctions were put in place it introduced a clause saying that the sanctions would not apply to previously signed contracts.
The minister said that Malta has extended its visa service to Tirana, through the help of other European Union countries, such as Austria and Italy.
It is also in talks to gain representation in another 14 countries through another EU country.
He said that this year there were 36,000 applications for a visa and 33,500 were issued.
He said that Kuwait opened an embassy in Malta in the past year strengthening relations between the two countries.
The government is studying what it can open in Kuwait at an embassy or lower level to establish its presence in another gulf country. The same applied to Qatar.
He said that later this week, he will be visiting Saudi Arabia where he would be signing a double taxation agreement. Another will be signed with Oman.
The President has been invited to visit Saudi Arabia next year.
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R. Abela
Nov 30th 2011, 20:05
(That case had been instituted after Libya sent a gunboat to stop oil exploration on a section of the Medina Bank which Libya claimed as its own territory). The PM Dom Mintoff then, quit with immediate effect relations with Libyan leader Ghaddafi
And the day after, the opposition leader of that time 'EFA', went to Libya and met Maumar Ghaddafi, with hugs and kisses and cheers, because National intersest was after his own.
Selected memories are put forward to media.
victor caruana
Nov 30th 2011, 15:45
Keep on dreaming.......
Arsenio Ellul
Nov 30th 2011, 15:23
Anyone remembers what the PN used to do when it was in theopposition, or you want us to make you remember??
John Said
Nov 30th 2011, 16:48
Yes we do! How can we forget….. beaten up….shot at….framed….travel to Italy to get some decent pasta, chocolate and toothpaste….pay hundreds of Maltese liri to get a black and white TV…..face closed church schools ….etc etc etc!
M Farrugia
Nov 30th 2011, 17:10
Arsenio dawk li semma John Said huma ftit mill-hafna hnizrijiet li kienu isiru f'pajjiz demokratiku suppost.
Arsenio Ellul
Nov 30th 2011, 19:47
Going telling foreigners not to invest in Malta, remember how many mlp clubs were shattered after 1987election, boycotting those advertising on l-orizzont, bombs stopped in 1987, doctors stopped going to hospitals, remember the infamous malta file circulating in the US through a maltese man. To be continued......
And you have the cheek to ask for proposals
Joseph Camilleri
Dec 1st 2011, 08:33
Oh dear .. Before you know it he'll be telling us that we had a good working democracy then and that now we don't.
Joe Vella
Nov 30th 2011, 15:04
j. Brincat
Can you list any one(s) of Dr. Muscat 51 proposals that is of real Substance that will have an effect on the daily lives of Maltese?
Alan Cordina
Nov 30th 2011, 15:24
No !
j brincat
Nov 30th 2011, 14:13
@Mark Galea
"I would say that this proposal has more weight than the famous 51 proposals ."
These famous proposals are now being copied by Gonzi+ (maternity, police union etc).
Its now obvious that Dr Muscat lead while Dr Gonzi follows.
Yes, it has come to that!
(jb)
Joseph Camilleri
Nov 30th 2011, 14:46
i think you will find that PM Gonzi had already declared his position about both maternity leave, and police union before the Leader of the Opposition made his 51 'proposals'.
just check the news items on the times .. you can see the time line for yourself.
Mark. Galea
Nov 30th 2011, 14:54
Now that I think of it, yes it must be true - the PL sit in the oppostion benches (and lose elections on purpose) so that they can lead the country ... Yes, it has come to that!
@ j brincat, seriously now. You understand the consequences of such a proposal for the future of Malta - should it lead to an agreement ... and you know the consequences on PL should an agreement be made before next elections (St Augustine's prophecy may be true after all)
Mark. Galea
Nov 30th 2011, 14:56
By the way, I really do not understand why you say that Gonzi is copying anything ... as far as I know, PL's electoral manifest is still a closely guarded secret, as long as Joseph is not sending emails to Gonzi about it :)
H. Psaila
Nov 30th 2011, 16:46
What proposals are you mentioning, I think you meant "Gvern gdid imexxi minnhi". I don't think those are proposals but repeated sentences over and over again for 51 times. He seemed much more like a parrot repeating every word he hears.
j brincat
Nov 30th 2011, 14:10
Good luck Malta but then I have my doubts!
(jb)
H. Psaila
Nov 30th 2011, 16:44
You can have 1000 doubts, but if we manage to have our own oil then we will far more richer than we are. Kepp your doubts to yourself please.
W Cassar
Nov 30th 2011, 13:14
Its about time this was sorted don't you?
Mark Galea
Nov 30th 2011, 13:05
I would say that this proposal has more weight than the famous 51 proposals ...
Arsenio Ellul
Nov 30th 2011, 13:37
but its still a proposal !!! Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I don't think that Libya or Italy would accept ,as they are not stupid as to share their golden goose with anyone. But rest assured that both will tell us thank you but no.
Ivan M. Dingli
Nov 30th 2011, 13:46
Yes sure, but it is just a proposal like the other 51!! Been pending since 1985 so i guess we're in for another 26 years of debates.
Mark. Galea
Nov 30th 2011, 13:59
Sure, my friends, it is still a proposal.
All I said was that this proposal has more weight than the famous 51 proposals I heard before ...
And as you said, both this one and the other 51 are just proposals ... and when they come in large numbers, they have to be taken with a pinch of salt (or the touch of a magic wand)
Joe Vella
Nov 30th 2011, 14:14
@ Arsenio Ellul and Ivan M Dingli
Yes it is still a proposal, but at least in makes sense.
Joseph Camilleri
Nov 30th 2011, 14:47
will you please stop referring to the 51 points as proposals. some of them certainly are not.. unless you define a declaration that not changing what is already existing a proposal
Joe Vella
Nov 30th 2011, 15:58
@ Joseph Camilleri
You have to excuse the PL as they do not know what is the difference.