How should Malta respond to the UN’s sanctioning of military action against Libya? Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil and former Labour Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici tell Christian Peregin about their radically different ideas.

Malta should support international military forces and offer all it can in enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, according to Dr Busuttil.

A no-fly zone, which must begin with military strikes against Libyan bases, will prevent Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi from attacking Libyans from the air and has been requested by those leading the revolution.

Dr Busuttil welcomed the UN resolution sanctioning this action and said Malta was duty-bound to respect it, adding that “our constitutional provisions on neutrality do not prevent us from doing so”.

“That includes allowing military planes to use our airspace as may be necessary for the implementation of the resolution,” he said.

Malta, he added, should keep “a sense of proportion and perspective” when talking about lending military facilities, since it did not have any “military muscle”.

“But we could be asked to offer our facilities to support military assets that are used in the implementation of the UN resolution in view of our ideal geographic situation. If this becomes necessary, we should say yes,” he said without specifying what this could entail.

Malta had so far acted correctly, both legally and morally and “we should continue doing the right thing”.

Although the no-fly zone came late, he said “it may have come just in time”.

“It sends a message to the regime that its time is really up because, this time, the warning is backed by military assets. It also sends a message of hope to the protesters and gives them a new lease of life that they may live to see their dream come true.”

Although Col Gaddafi’s ground forces would still be able to attack, he said the resolution “goes beyond the no-fly-zone and also includes the power ‘to take all necessary measures... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in Libya, including Benghazi’.

“This means that military efforts can also be deployed to stop Gaddafi’s troops,” Dr Busuttil pointed out.

In complete contrast, Dr Mifsud Bonnici, a renowned campaigner in preserving Malta’s independence and neutrality, criticised the UN resolution and said Malta should steer clear of taking any part.

The UN should have focused on a ceasefire and mediation to allow for a political solution to be found.

Malta should not even allow planes to violate its airspace and should definitely not lend any military facilities for foreign forces.

“It goes against our Constitution,” he said, pointing out that although the Constitution, allowed Malta to lend military facilities in the case of a UN Security Council resolution, such a resolution must be made on Malta’s request and only if it needed to protect its sovereignty or independence.

The Constitution says: “No military facilities in Malta will be allowed to be used by any foreign forces except at the request of the government of Malta, and only in the following cases: (i) in the exercise of the inherent right of self-defence in the event of any armed violation of the area over which the Republic of Malta has sovereignty, or in pursuance of measures or actions decided by the Security Council of the United Nations.”

Dr Mifsud Bonnici added that the UN resolution did not stop at authorising a no-fly zone but could also be interpreted as allowing ground forces to protect civilians.

“It is significant that big countries like Brazil, India, China, Russia and Germany chose not to take part because they do not feel there should be such interference in the internal affairs of a country.”

Dr Mifsud Bonnici accused Malta of already lending a hand to foreign forces militarily under the guise of “humanitarian” aid over the past few weeks.

He did not believe Malta was currently in any real danger of retaliation by Col Gaddafi but, if it did take part in any action, “Malta will become a target like other countries”.

He said Malta would only be pressured to participate if its geographical position was seen as necessary to the operations.

So what solution did he see to the conflict?

“The Libyan government has accepted a ceasefire. Now we have to see if the rebels will genuinely accept this.”