Any assistance Malta may be asked to provide by France in the fight against Islamic State will be given in line with the Constitution, the government said.
The statement came after France yesterday invoked a never-before-used EU “mutual-defence clause” to demand that its partners provide support for its operations against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq and other locations.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that all 27 of France’s EU partners had re-sponded positively.
The Maltese government said that a series of bilateral meetings between member states should now be held. “If and when Malta is specifically requested to assist, it will respond to the demand in line with its Constitution, as provided by the treaties.”
If and when Malta is specifically requested to assist, it will respond to the demand in line with its Constitution,as provided by the treaties
The government said it was advised by the Attorney General that the fact that a state had invoked a clause to seek the support of others did not necessarily mean that actions which breached the clauses of neutrality had to be taken.
France is currently participating in bombing raids on IS positions in Syria as part of the US-led international coalition against the terrorist organisation.
However, the theatre of war could be expected to spread to Libya, where the militant group has a foothold.
Last Friday the US killed the head of IS in Libya during a unique bombing raid in the eastern city of Derna.
It is unclear whether France will engage in any actions in Libya but the country is involved in anti-militant actions in Mali and the Central African Republic.
French authorities are seeking a second fugitive directly involved in Friday’s Paris terror attacks which killed 129 people.
Three officials said an analysis of the series of attacks on November 13 indicated that one person directly involved was unaccounted for. The person has not been identified.
Seven attackers died that night – three around the national stadium, three inside the Bataclan concert venue, and one at a restaurant nearby.
French and Belgian authorities have already issued a warrant for Salah Abdeslam, whose brother Brahim was among the attackers.
A third brother, Mohamed Abdeslam, earlier made a TV appeal for Salah Abdeslam to turn himself in.