Dr Muscat on his arrival in Libya this afternoon.

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said authorities in Tripoli were investigating the claim made by survivors of the latest shipwrecking tragedy off Malta that they were shot at as they left the North African coast.

He said preliminary investigations indicate that the claim that they came under fire by the Libyan navy is not true.

However, he insisted that should it turn out to be true, Libya would acknowledge it.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muacat at the Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel in Tripoli where the two held talks this afternoon.

Dr Muscat flew for the meeting with a delegation that includes Foreign Minister George Vella for a symbolic short visit intended to show solidarity with Mr Zeidan and his government after last week he was abducted by militiamen in what was described as an attempted coup.

Dr Muscat said Malta wanted to send a message that it is behind the Libyan people's effort to build a democratic state where the rule of law is paramount.

"We know that the majority of Libyan people do not believe that might is right and that political leadership should be removed with weapons. Governments should only be removed through elections," he said.

Earlier Mr Zeidan said during the meeting that he appreciated the Maltese gesture and felt that it helped take relations between the two governments to a whole new level.

The weekend's tragedy, in which dozens lost their lives when a boat with some 250 refugees capsized 120 miles off Malta, was a focal point in the discussions.

Dr Muscat said the issue of migration in Libya should be discussed in light of the wider security and stability concerns in Libya.

He said Mr Zeidan had put to him serious proposals where Europe could help with security training and access to the EU's sattelite system, for instance, and that he would be relaying this message at the forthcoming EU summit dealing with the subject next week.

Mr Zeidan said Libya was in the exact same situation as southern European states, stressing that Libya had not 'opened its doors' to this problem.

He pledged that his Government would do its utmost to secure known hubs for departures like Zuwara, where the migrants from Friday's tragedy left.

However, he insisted that Libya needed Europe's help.

mmicallef@timesofmalta.com