I have attended numerous meetings in relation to the worrying phenomenon of illegal immigration over the past months. During one particular meeting a high-ranking government official postulated that the Libyan authorities might be turning a blind eye, or worse, to the organised illegal trafficking of humans from two particular ports in Libya for a very specific reason: oil.
The Medina Bank belongs to Malta (it is in what is technically referred to as our Economic Exclusive Zone - EEZ). Some may recall that the Libyan government had sent gunboats to threaten us when we had started to drill for oil there back in Dom Mintoff's days. Tiny Malta had no choice. We had to back off.
The Libyans are claiming this area as their own even though it is north of the maritime boundary set by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which clearly demarcates it as being in Maltese waters. Historical and geological considerations also militate against the Libyan claims.
Do the Libyans know something we don't? They have a clear advantage over us in having excellent national geological services, something that is sadly lacking in our country, making us a notable exception among all Mediterranean and European countries.
The fact that Malta has an immense Search and Rescue (SAR) area means that most, if not all, illegal immigrants leaving from Libya will have to pass through Maltese waters. Many of those vessels that end up in distress fall under our responsibility. Reducing our SAR would seem to be an easy solution to our problem. However, reducing our SAR would also give more muscle to the Libyans who are insisting at the ICJ that the Medina Bank is theirs.
Could they be using the unfortunates who are risking their lives in the organised illegal shuttle service from Libya to Europe as pawns?
This theory is not as far-fetched as it might seem. A map published in the official journal of EAGE (the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers) clearly shows that the Libyans have awarded an oil-drilling concession in the Maltese EEZ to Sirte, the state-owned drilling company. It would seem that they are impatient to start drilling for oil in our waters.
They seem to be playing the same games they played in Mr Mintoff's days. However, tiny Malta is now not as helpless as it was back then. We are now part of the EU. It's about time we used our political muscle to get the EU to call on Libya to put a stop to these shenanigans.
It is apparent that the Libyans have forgotten that Malta showed herself to be a "friend in need" when the international community demonised them in the not-so-distant past.
We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied any longer. We must insist on the international community to bring pressure to bear on Libya to put a stop to the illegal trafficking of human beings, which is not only resulting in unbearable pressures on our society, but also, more importantly, in the regular loss of lives.
"'The sword of the law should never fall but on those whose guilt is so apparent as to be pronounced by their friends as well as their foes" - Thomas Jefferson.
The author is a Nationalist member of Parliament.
jpullicinoorlando@yahoo.com