Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca joins red revolt against SOFA

President emeritus, former minister and Labour Party district heavyweight, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has joined the chorus of left-wing opponents of a SOFA agreement with the US.

In an opinion piece published on the Times of Malta, Coleiro Preca insisted a SOFA deal would necessarily result in “ceding part of our hard-earned sovereignty to the USA”.

She called on the government to “come clean” on what sort of agreement was discussed with the US, whether it was a SOFA or a watered-down version of it”. 

But Coleiro Preca also made it clear that her major objection to SOFA revolves around the presence of US military personnel in Malta.

“Discussing a SOFA, or a watered-down version of it, is all about an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation having military forces stationed in that country… It establishes the rights and privileges of foreign military personnel in a host country.  There are no other versions of SOFA,” she wrote.

She proceeds to warn that “a military presence opens all possibilities of contentiousness between nations,” insisting that “a military presence will never guarantee peace and prosperity” but only “breeds conflict and war, which in turns deprives people of their deserves peace and prosperity.” 

Labour MEP and former party leader Alfred Sant has already declared his disagreement with SOFA, declaring that while he has a soft spot for the US, he has a greater soft spot for Maltese sovereignty and neutrality. 

Media reports on negotiations on SOFA caused unease inside the Labour Party especially among those whose political identity was forged by the fiery anti-colonial rhetoric of Dom Mintoff.

Concern was also voiced at Cabinet level.

In September, MaltaToday reported that various ministers are concerned that Malta’s problems on money laundering prosecutions, which are needed to pass the all-important Moneyval test that starts in October, could force it to give in on a red line on the SOFA: the issue of jurisdiction on US personnel based in Malta.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has insisted no agreement has been reached with the Americans but is evasive on what was actually discussed in Cabinet.

He has said though that Malta’s neutrality will be safeguarded in any SOFA deal.

Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo, insisted in a belated denial of any fait accompli, that any agreement will still give Malta the right to choose which crimes should be prosecuted in Malta and which could be prosecuted in a foreign jurisdiction.

Bartolo’s choice of words, while not excluding that some crimes committed here will be prosecuted in the US, indicated that it will be Malta which will determine which crimes will be prosecuted here or in the USA.

READ MORE: Get comfy on the SOFA: Is Mintoff rolling in his grave?