British Foreign Secretary William Hague was non-committal about UK assistance to Malta regarding migration when questioned after talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this afternoon.

He said that the Maltese prime minister had made a very strong case for Malta and he would be taking the matter up with Prime Minister David Cameron.

Asked if Britain would make any pledges on Thursday, when the EU will hold a conference where member states will be asked to pledge the number of migrants they would take from Malta under a solidarity mechanism, Mr Hague said he had no new announcement to make.

Mr Hague and Dr Gonzi discussed a wide range of issues, including bilateral and EU issues where they hold common ground, such as taxation. The situation in North Africa, particularly Libya, was also discussed.

Dr Gonzi is due to have talks with Mr Cameron at No10 later today.

The pledging conference on Thursday will be held on the margins of an extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting.

The initiative – the first of its kind – was announced by the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström during the presentation of a set of new proposals on migration.  

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