A scuffle between two men broke out near the main door as the Maltese delegation arrived at the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli.
The delegation had just made the short car trip from Mitiga airport to the Maltese-owned hotel outside the Medina when there was a commotion after an argument between what appeared to be a taxi driver and a police officer.
Witnessed by journalists, the two men started shouting at each other and had to be pulled apart by other security officers as the delegation, led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, walked in for talks with Libyan senior officials.
The whole incident lasted under five minutes but was enough to embarrass the security officers.