Foreign Affairs’ minister Tonio Borg will this morning set off for Benghazi for a day of meetings with the Libyan Transitional National Council, a ministry spokesman said.
Last month, the government officially acknowledged the Benghazi-based council as the “sole legitimate interlocutor of the Libyan people”, severing contact with Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
During his stay in Benghazi, Dr Borg is expected to hold meetings with council chairman, Mahmoud Jibril as well as the members of the council.
The ministry spokesman said the visit was “the next step” taken by the government in establishing a relationship with the council after it was officially recognised following a Cabinet decision.
Dr Jibril had welcomed Malta’s recognition but pointed out that the move fell short of “full recognition”, which he hoped the Maltese would eventually opt for.
Dr Borg had said Malta was considering granting full recognition, which could mean the council would be seen as the only legitimate government of Libya.
This would entail giving the council the frozen assets belonging to the Libyan government in Malta. It would also involve setting up an embassy in Benghazi and closing Libya’s embassy in Malta.