The Labour Party has been conspicuous by its silence throughout the Libyan conflict, but it now claims it has been holding meetings with the Transitional National Council “for a number of months”.
This emerged after The Sunday Times sent a series of questions to the PL spokesman who said his party had been in contact with “the rebels” for months.
Although he did not supply details about the meetings held, the spokesman said several issues had been discussed.
Primarily, the discussions focused on how the Labour Party could help the Libyan people “through supplies and assistance”.
Asked for more information about the meetings and whether the PL donated supplies or provided assistance, the spokesman said he was unable to divulge further information for the time being.
Labour leader Joseph Muscat is not the first person to claim he held meetings with the rebels after it emerged last week that Libyan Ambassador Saadun Suayeh had secretly met the council while still representing Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. He did not publicly declare this for tactical and security reasons.
The Labour spokesman has also denied that his party received donations from the Gaddafi regime.
“The current administration of the Labour Party can categorically deny that it ever received any donations, and is not informed of any previous donations by the regime to the party.”
Historically, the Labour Party has had excellent relations with Muammar Gaddafi, particularly when Dom Mintoff was in power during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Like Nationalist administrations in recent years, the opposition leader maintained good relations and paid a visit to Col. Gaddafi less than a year ago, returning to Malta on a private aircraft provided by the Libyan government.
Throughout the conflict, Dr Muscat, who insisted this was not a matter that should be politicised, was criticised for failing to call on Gaddafi to go.
Last March he said the behaviour of the Libya regime “is unacceptable by any standards” but did not explicitly say Col. Gaddafi had lost his legitimacy to govern and should step down.
The Sunday Times yesterday asked for Dr Muscat’s assessment of what should happen to Col. Gaddafi if he is captured.
“At this stage and before his capture it is premature to decide about how Col. Gaddafi should be tried. But justice should be done and Col. Gaddafi should certainly face trial over human rights crimes,” the spokesman said.