Malta should take an active role to bring order and stability in Libya by lobbying for a United Nations peacekeeping force in the neighbouring North African country, Nationalist leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday.

He added that, as an EU member state with close links to the Arab League, Malta could seek the support and possibly the resources of these two blocs for such an initiative. At the same time, Dr Busuttil expressed concern about the Maltese government’s handling of this crisis, complaining that the Opposition was not being briefed about any efforts to safeguard Maltese citizens trapped.

The Opposition leader was speaking at the end of a visit to the Lija local council.

Dr Busuttil reiterated that the issue was only raised in Parliament following repeated requests by the Opposition. He questioned the reason why the government had not yet ordered the evacuation of all Maltese nationals in Libya, in contrast with other countries which had done so weeks ago. “Each time we raise the issue, the Foreign Minister urges the Opposition not to escalate matters,” he said.

Dr Busuttil’s comments prompted a reaction from the government, which accused him of trying to score political points on a sensitive issue.

It noted that the PN’s approach was in sharp contrast with the stance taken by the Labour Party at the height of the 2011 civil war, when it had backed the Nationalist government to safeguard the national interest.

The government said that all those returning from Libya had lauded its efforts to support Maltese nationals in the North African country.

Touching on issues related to local councils, Dr Busuttil questioned the future of local governments saying that funding from the central government was down. In addition, the government’s proposal to postpone all council elections till 2019 was of great concern, he said.

The PN leader also floated the idea that a fraction of current taxes and fiscal measures could go towards the coffers of local councils, which would then have more resources at hand.