The UN special envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, is in Malta for tri-partite talks with Libyan Premier Abdullah al-Thinni and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, amid fears the north African country may slide into a civil war.

His arrival was announced yesterday evening by Dr Muscat following a two-hour meeting with Mr Thinni at Castille.

The Libyan leader has been in Malta since Monday afternoon, with his deputy and four Cabinet members, in an unprecedented effort to lobby for support from the international community and the European Union.

His democratically elected government is struggling to assert its authority, after one militia faction seized the capital Tripoli and set up its own administration, forcing the government to flee to Tobruk 1,000 kilometres to the east.

Meanwhile, other major cities such as Benghazi and Misurata fell into the hands of Islamist militias.

The Tripoli-based government is refuting claims it is backed by terrorist organisations. It opposes the Tobruk administration, saying it includes officials and politicians who formed part of the Gaddafi regime overthrown three years ago.

Addressing a joint press conference with Dr Muscat immediately after the talks, Mr Thinni played down the significance of such a large delegation being in Malta, saying it was testament to the strong bilateral relations that exist between the two countries.

There were prospects for further collaboration in various sectors, he said, as his delegation was scheduled for talks with the health and economy ministers.

Security issues in relation to air traffic between Malta and Libya were also on the agenda, he said.

Mr Thinni and Dr Muscat at yesterday’s press conference.Mr Thinni and Dr Muscat at yesterday’s press conference.

While clarifying that the Tobruk-based government had not asked for direct foreign military intervention to reassert control of the country, he said they were requesting “logistical support” to overcome the various militias.

He also emphasised that his government was the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people, as it had been democratically elected.

Asked to comment about the decision to join forces with a renegade former general of the Gaddafi regime, the Libyan leader said they were ready to partner with any party who would fight the terrorist organisations.

Soon after his arrival on Monday evening, Mr Thinni held talks with US Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones, who later tweeted a photo of their “interesting exchange”.

However Mr Thinni described it as a routine meeting over “day-to-day” matters.

Dr Muscat said the Libyan government had made “concrete requests” on the way forward for Libya, but did not go into detail.

“We believe that we can be a very effective voice in the EU of a democratic Libya, as we have always been,” Dr Muscat said.

He also spoke of a number of business opportunities, which both sides were “eager to come together and grasp in the immediate future”.

While stressing that the only internationally recognised government was the one led by Mr Thinni, he urged him to engage in dialogue with other political forces in Libya.

During the joint press conference, questions were asked about a memorandum of understanding signed in September last year under which Malta would get oil, gas and fuel at preferential rates. Mr Thinni said this preliminary agreement was still being “evaluated”. A more optimistic Dr Muscat said it depended on oil production levels, which he said were set to rise.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s special envoy to Libya, Emrullah Isler, made a brief stopover in Malta on Monday night on his way to the country. The Turkish foreign ministry said the former deputy prime minister would be holding talks in Libya to bring an end to the existing climate of conflict and discuss Turkey’s support for Libya.

A Maltese government spokesman said that during his short stay, no meetings were held with Mr Thinni. Sources told this newspaper the envoy was scheduled to meet the Islamist militias in Misurata. He has already met representatives of the Tobruk-based government.

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