Libya, Italy and Malta will hold talks next month on illegal immigration and the delineation of the continental shelf for oil exploration purposes, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said yesterday.

The meetings were decided during talks between Dr Borg and his Libyan counter Al Abdel-Rahman Shalgam yesterday. Following the meeting, the government announced that tripartite meetings will be held by the end of the year and that a double taxation agreement would be signed between Malta and Libya by the end of the year.

The ministers also dealt with the thorny issue of Libya's fishing conservation zone. When enforced in 2006, it had forced Maltese fishermen out of traditional fishing grounds.

The government yesterday again requested that Maltese boats be given a licence to operate in the zone. "The Libyan side promised to study the request according to the Libyan legislation in force in this field."

Speaking before the meeting Mr Shalgam said that the oil drilling issue was a multi-lateral issue involving Malta, Italy, Libya and Tunisia.

Speaking on illegal migration, he said that what is a problem for Malta is an "invasion" for Libya.