Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela this evening welcomed remarks reported to have been made by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil about the opposition wanting to have a dialogue with the government on national security.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Abela said the government was ready to talk to and work with the Opposition on national security, but he hoped that Dr Busuttil's remarks were backed by action, including an end to what appeared to be a campaign in the PN media to unjustly instill fear and terror.
Mr Abela said security was a delicate matter and one had to be careful about what was said, when it was said, and how it was said. In the run-up to the EU-Africa summit and CHOGM, the government had acted responsibly and was honest with the people.
He could not say the same for the Opposition. Several comments made by the Opposition and its media, especially after the Paris attacks, showed irresponsibility and appeared to be aimed to sow fear and instability.
The government, Mr Abela said, did not get its security information from the media, but from the security forces here and abroad. His appeal to the opposition was not to base itself on speculation.
The opposition, Mr Abela said, had contradicted itself on issues such as the decision to suspend Schengen arrangements up to the end of the year - not because of some security threat, but to tackle what appeared to be racket of irregular migrants using flights to come to Malta. The opposition had also confused issues including terror attacks, visas and resident permits, which had nothing to do with each other.
At last, however, Dr Busuttil appeared to have had a change of heart, saying he wanted a dialogue with the government on security.
The government, Mr Abela said, had no problem in holding such a dialogue as long as the Opposition's intentions were the country's best interest.
In his speech Mr Abela thanked the security forces for their work during the summits. He also denied media reports of some soldiers having been left without food for long hours.