(Adds ministry's reaction)

This month’s rise in fuel costs did not have anything to do with the Libyan crisis and could not be justified by the exchange rate, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this morning.

Speaking during an interview on One Radio, Dr Muscat said that even if one were to accept the principle that the prices had to rise, they should only have risen by half the amount. The current prices, he said, reflected the government’s irresponsibility.

The Labour leader called on the government to give the people the energy benefit again this year saying that although this would not be enough, it would help them shoulder part of the burden.

But in a statement, the Finance Ministry said that the price of fuels in Malta reflected the international rates.

The latest increases were because the latest consignment bought by Enemalta had been at higher rates than the one before it.

Malta was not a producer of fuels and depended on importation. Prices were dictated by the international situation, including what was going on in Libya.

But the leader of the Opposition opted to be irresponsible and failed to see the reality.

Asked about the situation in Libya, Dr Muscat said that he agreed with the government that Malta should serve as a humanitarian bridge to Libya but not as a military base.

He also called on the European Union to do some soul searching about its Mediterranean policy.

Dr Muscat said that the situation in Libya highlighted the importance of Air Malta to the country. Besides being a national asset, the airline was also of strategic importance to Malta.

The Labour leader reiterated that while the opposition had accepted to be and would remain, at least for the time being, on the Air Malta restructuring committee, the government was shamelessly asking it to sign an agreement not to divulge any sensitive data or other matters mentioned by the committee or its fringes.

“This is hindering me in my duties as leader of the Opposition and I will not sign any such agreements. Such things are not done in any democracy in the west,” Dr Muscat said.