AD calls on government to recognise Libyan Transitional Council as ‘legitimate interlocutor’

AD Chairperson Michael Briguglio, said in a statement that "as a member of the European Greens, AD reiterates the need for responsibility sharing within the EU for asylum seekers, beyond short-sighted national egoisms."

The party spokesperson on EU and International Affairs, Arnold Cassola urged government to join Italy and France and formally recognise Benghazi-based Libya’s Transitional Council as Libya’s legitimate interlocutor.

The call comes a day after the Council’s emissary Ahmed Rahman Shalgam held official talks at Castille with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday.

In a statement, Cassola stressed that "following the cruel repression of the Libyan people by Colonel Gaddafi and his entourage, it is now clear that many Libyan people no longer wish to be governed by such despotic rulers.  Alternattiva Demokratika is asking the Maltese government to join Italy and France in recognising the Libyan Transitional Council as its legitimate interlocutor, even more so because the Council based in Benghazi has promised to bring about democracy through free and fair elections in the country, and to respect the basic human rights of everyone."

Cassola added that
"All this will be beneficial to peace and stability in the Mediterranean and to Libyan people, and will have positive effects on the migration issue which is hitting so many oppressed and persecuted people, since if Libya becomes a signatory to the 1951 Geneva convention on the protection of refugees, there will be no longer any necessity for displaced people to flee from the repression in Libya", concluded Prof. Cassola.

AD spokesperson for Migration and Citizenship, Robert Callus said that "the Libyan Transitional Council has already shown interest in respecting human rights including signing the Geneva Convention for refugees. This is a win-win situation for the EU since it will stem the influx of African asylum seekers in conformity with International Law and respecting their fundamental human rights."