Opposition leader Joseph Muscat this morning expressed his appreciation for the way how the Opposition was being kept constantly informed and consulted by the government over the Libyan crisis.
In a radio phone-in, Dr Muscat also expressed his appreciation for the work being done by Air Malta. This crisis, he said, showed how Air Malta was a strategic national asset not only from the commercial point of view to support tourism, but also from a security point of view.
“What would have happened if we did not have Air Malta? We do not have large military aircraft, so who would have picked up the Maltese workers from Libya if the government did not have control over Air Malta?” he asked.
Dr Muscat in his statement said the Opposition was being cautious in what it said and did because the situation was delicate and people’s lives and wellbeing could be at stake.
One had to consider the national interest, not only now, but also for the future, when the situation calmed down and Maltese workers returned to Libya.
However, he said, Labour unreservedly condemned all violence in Libya, and it insisted that human rights were, by definition, rights which had to be respected.
The Labour leader said that from the point of view of Malta’s neutrality, the UN Security Council decision to impose focused sanctions against Libya was an important decision which Malta, as a UN member, was bound to follow.
The Opposition, Dr Muscat said, had no problem in Malta being used for humanitarian reasons in the current crisis.
Dr Muscat thanked all Air Malta personnel for their service in Libya, pointing out how airline crews had left the safety of their aircraft to seek out Maltese passengers amid the chaos of Tripoli airport.
One did not see purely commercial or low cost airlines doing this sort of thing, he said.
This crisis, he said, had shown once more how right Dom Mintoff was at the Helsinki CSCE conference in the early 1970s to insist that European security was linked to security in the Mediterranean.
It showed how the EU needed to rethink and place stronger focus on its Mediterranean policy.
This, Dr Muscat said, was a wake up call of how the Mediterranean was a sensitive region and how Malta’s Mediterranean vocation was not cosmetic but something which needed to be taken seriously in the national interest.
“This crisis should give Malta impetus for serious dialogue between the peoples of the Mediterranean,” Dr Muscat said.
He said the Opposition was backing the government with regard to pressure which needed to be placed, and preparations which needed to be made, should an exodus of migrants from Libya materialise. One should not alarm anyone, but one should be prepared.
Malta needed to observe its humanitarian obligations, but also safeguard its national interest. Malta was showing solidarity with other nations in this time of crisis, but Europe needs to do likewise with Malta should the need arise.
“In the same way as we are helping others, we expect that others help us if a migration crisis develops,” Dr Muscat said.