Nationalist MP Francis Zammit Dimech has raised a breach of privilege complaint against the editors of MaltaStar, One News and One TV, insisting that their report that he, as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had had a meeting with Richard Cachia Caruana to coordinate tomorrow's committee hearing was 'a blatant lie'.

The committee is due to meet to consider an Opposition motion to  censure Mr Cachia Caruana for allegedly working behind parliament's back to reintegrate Malta in Partnership for Peace. The government has denied the claim.

Dr Zammit Dimech said the media reports were an insult towards him personally and against the committee and constituted a breach of privilege since they was based on his duties in the House.

Dr Zammit Dimech said he had told a MaltaStar reporter that the information was wrong, but the website still carried the news. This afternoon he wrote to the website, but the item was not removed, and it was also carried on the other Labour media.

This, he said, was a clear attempt to hinder and influence him ahead of tomorrow's committee meeting.

Opposition whip Joe Mizzi said he was raising a privilege complaint against Dr Zammit Dimech. He did not know whether or not DrZammit Dimech was lying, but he could not implicate the Opposition in what had allegedly happened. Furthermore he did nto deny meeting Mr Cachia Caruana.

Dr Zammit Dimech said his complaints were against the Labour-owned media. Their report was absolutely not true.

The Speaker said he will rule in another sitting.

Separately, the government issued a statement to deny the MaltaStar report.It said the Labour media had invented the story about a meeting which never took place. Even if the meeting had taken place, this would not have been relevant for the discussion within the House committee since the committee was not a court, as the Labour Party was making it out to be. 

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