AN is not in favour of multiculturalism, AN leader Josie Muscat said this morning.

Addressing a news conference in front of the Marsa open centre, Dr Muscat said his party was worried with the large number of illegal immigrants who were working in different sectors, including the construction and tourism industries.

These were jobs which belonged to the Maltese.

He said that that although a few illegal immigrants really left their country because of the problems this was facing, the majority left in search of a better economic future.

Twenty percent of the Libyan population was made up of illegal immigrants who were well integrated and earning good money. However, they still insisted on coming to Malta.

AN, Dr Muscat said, always believed that illegal immigrants found at sea should be given food and medicine if these were needed but then told to turn back. But it was only when Italy took such action recently that Malta was shown that this could be done.

Moreover, if illegal immigrants insisted on coming to Malta, they should be kept in closed centres until they agreed to return to Libya.

Illegal immigrants were posing a threat to jobs, religion and health because diseases which had been eradicated from Malta were making a comeback.