Libya would honour the oil agreement with Malta but would take time to deliver, Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdel Aziz said yesterday.
He said “certain elements” had occupied the ports from where oil was exported and this starved Libya of billions of dollars in cash.
Malta and Libya signed a memorandum of understanding some months ago for the North African country to supply oil at preferential rates. Nothing has come of that agreement as Libya grapples with instability and a weak central government.
Mr Aziz was in Malta yesterday to sign a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation in health, education, energy and culture. The deal was discussed over two days by the Malta-Libya Joint Commission, a grouping of technical experts from both sides.
Although this was the 27th meeting of the commission it was the first since the revolution two years ago.
Asked how certain he was that Libya could deliver on the oil agreement, Mr Aziz acknowledged the difficulties his country faced. “Some have told us to use military force to take over the ports... but the government has wisely taken the road of discussion and engagement.”
He insisted Libya was not a failed State but the troubles were symptomatic of a post-revolutionary period during which the country’s democratic institutions had to be built anew.
The cultural mindset of the Libyan people also had to make a transition from dictatorship to democracy, he added.
Mr Aziz called for patience and support from those who had stood by the Libyan people during the revolution.
“Restoring security is our responsibility but Libya cannot do it alone. Controlling our very long borders, including a massive shoreline, is a collective responsibility,” he said, adding that a secure Libya benefited the Mediterranean region.
His appeal was echoed by Foreign Minister George Vella, who insisted that nobody could expect miracles to happen.
“Malta is committed to see democracy take root in Libya but things do not happen overnight. We want Libya to stop being a problem and instead be a place of opportunity for its people. There has to be a gradual but strong democratic transition,” Dr Vella said.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com