Libya was “on the verge” of becoming a failed State, Joseph Muscat said during talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday as he pushed for the issue to be high on the EU agenda.
The Prime Minister also elicited Germany’s support for a UN peace keeping mission in Libya if such a request was made by the Libyans.
“The EU cannot spring into action and be caught by surprise only when Libya becomes a failed State.
“Our [Malta’s] role is to nudge the important players into putting Libya on the agenda and we believe Germany can take the moral lead. Libya is not the only issue but neither is Ukraine the only issue,” Dr Muscat said.
Ms Merkel said Germany would be ready to support any UN initiative in Libya, admitting more focus was required on issues that affected the Mediterranean rim.
Within the EU, the crisis in Ukraine has overshadowed events in Libya where rival factions have set up competing governments and parliaments.
Dr Muscat said instability in Libya risked opening the doors for terrorists to get a foothold in the country.
‘Stability crucial for European security’
In a joint press conference in Berlin, Ms Merkel said the risk of Islamic State (IS, also known as Isis) establishing itself in Libya was also a concern for Germany. “This is why it is important for Germany to support the UN efforts.”
Dr Muscat reiterated that stability and security in Libya were crucial for European security.
He said the window of opportunity to support Libya was now that the UN was overseeing peace talks in Geneva between the rival factions.
“There is a glimmer of hope,” he said, adding Europe must not fail to read the signs of the times as it had done in the run up to the Arab spring.
He identified three issues that made Libya a concern for Europe: “Libya is an important supplier of crude oil in the region; it is a transit point for illegal immigration and efforts must be made to ensure Libya becomes a safe port of call; also, instability can lead to terrorist organisations taking root on Europe’s doorstep.”
Speaking to journalists after the press conference, Dr Muscat said he was impressed by Ms Merkel’s humbleness in admitting little focus was given to the Libya crisis.
“She told me it was the second time that somebody had brought the matter to her attention,” he said, adding Malta’s efforts signalled its commitment to translate constitutional neutrality into “active neutrality”.
On Greece, Dr Muscat said Malta was against debt relief but in favour of flexibility that would allow Greece some breathing space such as extending the maturity period for loans.
“Malta is against a haircut. We can discuss prolonging the repayment period or substituting some commitments by others. We must do all that is possible to keep Greece in the eurozone but we must not do the impossible.”
Ms Merkel was noncommittal on Greece, noting that a meeting between the finance ministers of Germany and Greece would be held today.
“We have to wait and see what the Greek government is asking of us. It is for them to tell us what they want but we want Greece to remain in the euro area,” she said.
Dr Muscat, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister George Vella and Labour MP Silvio Schembri, also held talks with German MPs from the German-Maltese friendship parliamentary committee.
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com