The Labour Party has insisted that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has responsibility to shoulder for hunters having been misled ahead of Malta joining the EU.

The party said a recording of a secret meeting with hunters, which Dr Gonzi had at Busket, showed he one one hand tried to shirk responsibility while admitting he was involved in what the PN had promised in 2003 even though the issue had fallen on his lap.

The PL said an extract of the discussion ran as follows:

Hunter 1: ... Xi hadd dahak bina.

Hunter 2: ... Ghinna, imma ghinna mhux ghax din is-sena gejja l-elezzjoni...

Lawrence Gonzi: ... Ahna ma dhakna b’ hadd. Issa jien sirt Prim Ministru erbgha gimghat qabel dhalna fl-Ewropa, f’Marzu, April tas-sena 2004 u din sibtha fuq hogri mill-ewwel din il-problema. Issa ma rridx nahsel idejja jien kont fil-politika qabel nerfa’ r-responsabbiltà kollha parti minn dak li kiteb Eddie Fenech Adami, parti minn kollox, però jien meta sirt Prim Ministru din mill-ewwel sibtha hemm u kelli niehu jien id-decizjonijiet. U sfidajtha lill-Kummissjoni u ftahtu fl-2006, u xorta spiccajt bil-kaccaturi jipprotestaw fit-toroq. Giet fl-2007 u qalulna jew tobduna jew se nohdukom il-qorti. Issa kieku vera ridna nidhku b’xi hadd ahna konna nghidu, le alright mela se ncedu kollox erhilhom ghalfejn mela jien niehu pjacir itellghu lil Malta l-Qorti ...

... Issa jien beda jigini s-suspett li intom ma tafdawniex.

... Nifhem il-weggha u nifhem kollox. U allura ghedt imma jien ftaht, ergajt ftaht u ergajt ftaht u xorta qed jghidu li qed nahdem kontra l-kaccaturi u allura ghidt mela stajt naghlaq kollox mill-ewwel, jekk xorta se tiehduha kontra tieghi mela ghalfejn qghadt nohrog ghonqi ghall-kaccaturi u n-nassaba, nisfida l-Unjoni Ewropea u xorta tisparaw lili? ...

Hunter 3: Ma rridekx thares lejja bl-ikrah pero nahseb li l-borma qed tiehu hsiebha wara li nharqet. Kont ili nwissik minn qabel u bdejt tahseb li qed nohlom. Dawn l-affarijiet graw li kont insemmielek u jiddispjacini ma nafx kif se nsewwuhom...

Lawrence Gonzi: Ma tafdanix (lili) il-Birdlife. Ma tafdakomx. U intom ma tafdawx lili.

Hunter 4: Ahna nixitiequ mhux weghda jien ma irridx promessi. Jien irrid li tghaddi l-elezzjoni, jigri li jrid u mmur nonsob.

The PL said the full recording could be heard on www.direzzjonisuccess.eu.