Malta has made a proposal to Libya and Italy as a possible solution to the continental shelf issue, which has been pending for years. Malta believes the best solution is joint exploration by all the countries concerned but this could not be done before agreement is reached.
Closing the debate in Parliament on the financial estimates of his ministry, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said Malta’s pretentions were based on what was decided by the International Court of Justice in 1985.
This had limited its decision to the area where the Maltese and Libyan waters faced each other. However, the court did not establish the median line to the east and the west, which were also contested, especially the east where both Libya and Italy had certain expectations.
Dr Borg spoke extensively about Malta’s stance in the face of the Arab Spring uprisings, particularly in Libya, and the humanitarian aid and political support it had extended. This had undoubtedly been the greatest crisis Malta had ever hand to face since independence.
His own and the Prime Minister’s meeting with Col Gaddafi just weeks before the uprising in Libya had been on the basis of an appointment that had been fixed months earlier, and had covered such long-pending issues as the continental shelf, the exclusive fishing zone and the then-upcoming 5+5 summit in Malta.
While the government had said early on that Gaddafi had lost all legitimacy through violence, Malta had steadfastly refused to take part in military operations, even if covered by UN Security Council resolutions.
In the Libyan conflict, Malta had assisted 100 of the 193 United Nations countries, evacuating 20,000 foreigners from Libya through Malta, 5,000 of them Chinese citizens.
In this sense, the House should examine where neutrality had become anachronistic and decide accordingly. Neutrality was not an aim in itself but a tool for one to reach the desired aims.
Dr Borg said that to protect those who had already signed contracts with Libya and Iran before EU sanctions were imposed, it introduced a clause saying that the sanctions would not apply to previously signed contracts.
Malta had extended its visa service to Tirana, through the help of other EU countries, such as Austria and Italy. It was also in talks to gain representation in 14 other countries through another EU country.
He said that this year there were 36,000 applications for a visa and 33,500 had been issued.
Dr Borg said that last year Kuwait opened an embassy in Malta. The government was studying what it can open in Kuwait at an embassy or lower level to establish its presence in another gulf country. The same applied to Qatar.
He said that later this week, he would be visiting Saudi Arabia to sign a double taxation agreement. Another would be signed with Oman.
Labour spokesman on foreign policy George Vella called for discussions with the government on the neutrality concept which he said had to be redefined to reflect today’s realities while still entrenched in the constitution. At the same time Mata needed to make security arrangements without subjecting itself to become a military base or to form part of any military alliance. The concept of neutrality was sacrosanct for the Labour Party.
Government slammed for not taking a stronger stance over Syria, Yemen and Bahrain
He declared that a future Labour government would retain Malta’s participation in the Partnership for Peace (PFP) as long as it exercised absolute control in what operations to participate in.
He rebuked the government for failing to discuss Malta’s re-entry in the PFP and criticised the Prime Minister for ignoring Parliament while announcing the re-entry to the US Ambassador.
Parliament had the right of scrutiny on defence and security matters.
Dr Vella spoke at length on the Libyan revolution praising the government for the way it handled the matter. He said that credit should also be given to the opposition for its support and caution even though the government stopped its consultation in the latter stage. He called on the government not to rush on issues of oil exploration with Libya as one could not expect a rapid solution.
He praised the heroic acts performed by Libyans in gaining freedom adding also that the no-fly zone was instrumental in stopping the massacre in Benghazi.
He augured that the new Libya would fully participate in Mediterranean political structures. He called on the Libyan government to respect human rights.
Dr Vella said it was ironic that while the government preached unity in Libya, the Nationalist Party adopted a divisive and dishonest campaign with allegations on the Labour Party’s links with the Gaddafi regime.
Malta and others states were very cautious on condemning and taking action against government repression in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.
Dr Vella rebuked the government for not taking a stronger stance on the Palestinian issue and for not condemning the use of arms by Israel.
Dr Vella argued that the MEUSAC should become a parliamentary and not a ministerial structure. Foreign Affairs Committee members had to be given the chance to address Meusac.
He said that one should distinguish between international and development aid and spoke on the various fora where Mediterranean matters were discussed.
He called on the government to push forward the claim that Gozo still needed structural funds under Objective One because of its economic development if Malta was to lose its convergence status.