A small group of Libyan men this morning held a brief protest outside the Auberge de Castille in Valletta.

The group, which supports the government installed in Tripoli, protested over the Maltese government's failure to recognise the Charge' d'Affairs operating from the embassy in Attard.

The Charge' d'Affairs supports the Tripoli government, which is based around Libya Dawn, a militant group from Misrata.

Another charge' d'affairs, nominated by the recognised Libyan government - now based in Tobruk - is reportedly using consular offices in Ta' Xbiex.

During the protest those who took part handed in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. They said they were surprised and hurt that the Maltese government had accepted an envoy of the 'illegal' Libyan Parliament as charge' d'Affairs of Libya.

They insisted that this parliament had not achieved the 18% vote participation in the elections and lacked legal status in terms of the law, as confirmed by the Libyan Constitutional Court.

Those taking part in the protest carried placards reading: 'Respecting Libyan constitutional court sentence is respecting democratic rules and law.'