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Snapshots of a ‘special relationship’
In good times and in bad, our neighbour and one-time ‘blood brother’ Colonel Gaddafi has overshadowed Maltese politics for four decades. Here are a few of the memorable ‘Muammar moments’
“The Libyans would want something in return. Libya is rich in oil and does not need money. Libya is only in need of soldiers to win the war against Israel. Is that Mintoff’s solution for the unemployment problem?”
Nationalist MP Josie Muscat addressing Parliament on the Labour government’s negotiations with Tripoli, shortly before the 1971 election
“An hour before the bombing, we had informed Libyan air traffic controllers that unidentified, unauthorised planes were approaching their region.”
Former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, recalling the British-American bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986
“The friendship between Malta and Libya can lead to Libya's friendship with the EU. The future of the two countries is bound together.. We have worked together in the past, we have to work together in the future. It is in the interest of both our peoples that we strengthen relations, increase our sense of friendship... This is my and my people's wish. We are a united people when it comes to Libya
President Guido de Marco, on an official visit to Libya in February, 2004
"We are satisfied at this development and I have expressed this feeling to your President. It will be of advantage to us for Malta to be a member of the EU because Malta is our friend and would assist in strengthening relations between Europe and Africa.”
Colonel Gaddafi on Malta’s EU accession, February 2004
“For a start it might help you to go to your meeting with sovereign states via Libya and seek the cooperation of the President of Libya to secure your personal safety. It might even be advantageous both to Zimbabwe and Libya if you and my friend President Gaddafi stopped in Malta and spoke to our people in the best way you may devise.”
Dom Mintoff, in a letter to President Robert Mugabe, December 2007
“How is Mintoff?”
Colonel Gaddafi to President Eddie Fenech Adami, during his State visit to Libya, August 2008
“Dear comrade... my colleague (Dr Mifsud Bonnici) is familiar with my handwriting if you need help in understanding the letter. Please accept my apologies for my absence, but when you visited me (on Saturday at home) you had fresh evidence of my present state of health.”
Dom Mintoff, in a letter accepting the Gaddafi Prize for Human Rights, October 2008
“Stop criticising Libya… We recognise that immigration is also a problem for Libya, and we are doing our bit by putting pressure on Europe to offer more aid to Libya to help it control its borders”
Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, March 2009
“I have always believed that Libya, both because of its geographical position and also because of its unique economic structure, should be Malta’s foremost strategic partner.”
Health Minister John Dalli, April 2009
“Muammar Gaddafi’s recent request [for €5 billion from the EU]is nothing new and we think that it’s totally justified…We fully support Libya’s request as it is in the interest of Malta to have our neighbouring country capable of policing adequately its borders.”
Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, September 2010
“Malta, through successive governments, has had close contacts with Libya since the 1960s, because there was mutual friendship. We even remained close when UN sanctions were imposed upon it. It would be a mistake to stop contacts with countries because they have governments different to ours”
Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, February 2011
“We are ready to do anything to get the EU and the Libyan government on the same table and discuss an agreement [about migration].”
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, September 2010
“The irrefutable fact is that the number of irregular immigrants this year was almost down to zero, because the Libyan government took steps to control its coast”
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, September 2010
“We are afraid of Malta, it has good relations with the Gaddafi regime, we call it another province of Libya, rather than an independent state.”
Mohamed el-Huni, Benghazi opposition spokesman, March 2011 (quoted in The Financial Times)
“Is there a country which did not support Libya? Italy did, the US had commercial ties, Tony Blair and the UK did. If anyone made a mistake, the whole world did.”
Former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, February 2011
“Recent events compel me as a citizen of Malta to request you as President of Malta, who is also the head of the Maltese Honours, to take the necessary steps to appoint a meeting of an Honours Forfeiture Committee to consider whether Muammar Gaddafi’s recent actions allow him to remain a holder of honour and/or whether he has brought our honours into disrepute, and if so to take the actions deemed fit.”
Dr Frank Portelli on Gaddafi’s appointment as honorary member of the ‘Xirka Gieh ir Reppublika’ (1975), and honorary companion of honour of the National Order of Merit (2004) – February 2011
“The issue of Gaddafi’s honour is not a priority at this stage and can be taken up in due course.”
PN spokesman, March 2011
“(Gaddafi) is an arch-democrat of a dictator.”
Former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, March 2011
“I think Gaddafi should make his own decisions. He has the assessment of the people, as he has said on TV… I think Gaddafi has made the first attempt towards conciliation – but now he is feeling himself on uneasy ground and is looking for a way out.”
EU Commissioner John Dalli, March 2011
“If he (Gaddafi) survives, and he is known to be a survivor, he will never forget what the Prime Minister of Malta, a close and friendly country, had to say about him when he was drowning. The Prime Minister should have called for dialogue and mediation and not follow blindly what others, whose only interest is to get their hands on Libya’s oil reserves, are saying.”
Former Industry Minister Reno Calleja, March 2011
“I was one of the first Prime Ministers in Europe to condemn the behaviour of Gaddafi”
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, March 2011
“Whatever statements are made by international organisations or other countries, the reality is that the situation will be resolved by the Libyans themselves.
Joseph Muscat, March 2011
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I love it when I see all these comments below blaming Gozni or PL. We all We maltese citizen in our vast majority were never that fond of our Libyan dictator or people and we saw the LIbyans as a big threat to our security. When arabic was introduced as a requirement in schools back in the 70's no one wanted anything to do with it. It's our politicians on both sides who were always kissing Gaddafi's ass. And they know it. We must always say it as it is, but some people have short memory. Let us maltese citizens not stand with dictatorships wherever they are. Dictatorships are despicable and should always be removed. There is no such thing as a good dictator. If there is such as good dictatorship, the dictator should not be afraid to hold elections. All politicians of course are power hungry and if you let them, they will try to hold on to power, and those are in established democracies as we have seen in our country in the past. So, let democracy reign and policians out there must always know that the will of the people, for better or for worse will always prevail at one point or another.
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Maltese Society: A bicycle society with a cadillac mentallity...for all those who think that the West has helped remove Ghaddafi because they feel so sorry and pity for the Libyan people...then please go back to primary school! It's the oil that they're after....after all this the Libyans will remain where they were unless their is an evolutionary process which will take at least another generation!
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Well lets see how liberated Libya is going to be or if its going to be better off or not, one thing is for sure, one can never trust a western government to tell you the truth, just look at our own government.
Micheal Bonanno •
@NCE. Why? For saying the truth? As if we all inwardly don't know that's what's happening in Libya is because of oil, and nothing else. One thing is never being mentioned. The sales of arms!
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KMB had better stop championing Gadaffi on Smash TV and take him off air completely till this episode is over.
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How come no one shows the picture of Gonzi and Borg with GAddafi, a week before the uprising. Our politicians, both labour and nationalist will sell their souls for a few thoursand euros.
Paul Sammut •
As President Charles de Gaulle of France once aptly said,"Countries don't have friends, they only have interests." This will never change. So let us not be naive and stop fooling ourselves.
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Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the government advertising until a few months back that Gadaffi was going to visit Malta, either this year or in 2012?
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Wasn't it a PN big shot who travelled speedoly to Tripoli and urge Gadaffi to stop cheap oil for Malta when the aga of the gunboat and R&B drilling rig drilling off Malta happened?
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One thing for sure, no matter how mistaken KMB might have been in his feelings towards Gadaffi at least he has been honest with himself and those he addressed, others simply conveniently changed sides and will do so again if the need arrises.
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Mr. JGPEM. Fil-blog l-ohra qadt tghajjarni u tinsulentani ghax ma qbiltx meighek (kif jahgmlu il maggoranza ta nies miz zewg nahat) ma li kitbet it-torca. Ghajjartni mignun, ma nafx naqra, pappagall u imbierek Alla nazzjonalist. Fil-kuntest ta kollox ma ghidtliex prova wahda (imqarr li tiftakar li kitbet it-torca).
Int wiehed li tahseb li jekk tinheba wara nickname tista tghid li trid u tghjjar lil min trid, u minghalik li hadd ma jaf min int. Imma sejjer zball. U taqbizx linji ma min ma jaqbizomx
Kompli uri kemm int ragel. Aqbad ghajjar meta titlef l argument ma xi hadd kif jaghmel demartino. U din tan nofs kliem kbir u iehor zghir xi trid tghid biha? Forsi ghax illitterat? Daqs Guidocforte jew salgister taf titkellem.
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Il Partit Nazjonalista ma jista JITKELLEM xejn u ma joqod JIKKUMMIDJA xejn ghax l-ahhar PM FID DINJA LI li iltaqa ma GADDAFI kien il PM LAWRENCE GONZI flimkiem ma DELEGAZJONI tieghu Issa Gaddafi sar DITTATUR XMAR jaghmel Dr Lawrence Gonzi EZATT QABEL MA IL POPLU LIBYAN QAM KONTRA GADDAFI
Zack Depasquale •
Ma nsejtx siehbi Quo Vadis ghaliex jien ghexthom dawk iz-zminijiet kif nahseb ghexthom int ukoll. Mela halli nfakkar ohra mal-lista li ghamilt int.
Tiftakar meta Gadafi baghat gunboat ghal-rig taz-zejt li kien qieghed ihaffer ghaz-zejt f'isem Malta. Tiftakar kemm il-Kap tal-Oppozizjoni ta'dak iz-zmien telgha jigri jilghaq il-Gadafi l-aqwa li kontra l-gvern Malti. U tiftakar min kien il-Kap tal-Oppozizjoni ta'dak iz-zmien, hadd hlief Dr Eddie jew Edward(Ma nafx xi jsejjah lilu innifsu illum). Altru li nsejt siehbi.Nies min GonziPN illum iridu jbellugha il-kulhadd li huma xi vergni pura ghax allahares jaraw il-passat ricenti ricenti taghhom ghax l-anqas johorgu aktar mid-dar. Mill-banda l-ohra din l-istorja qisu nsiha kulhadd.
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@ Matrix
Mela nsejt kemm in-Nazzjonalisti, fis-snin 70, kienu jghajjru lil Mintoff ghax kellu ftehim mal-Libja ta' Gaddafi? Bhas-soltu, spiccaw JILGHAQU dak kollu li qalu, ghax mill-kwotazzjonijiet ta' hawn fuq jidher bic-car kemm huma LAGHAQIN in-Nazzjonalisti! U tiftakar fi zmien ir-referendum ghas-shubija shiha ma' l-Ewropa kemm kienu jghidu n-Nazzjonalisti : 'Mela ma' min trid li ninghaqdu mal-Libja jew?' Imma kif hlief ipokresija m'ghandux dan il-partit!! mhux ta' b'xejn haga wahda mal-knisja, ghax tnehhilhom l'ipokresija, ma' jibqghalhom xejn.
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You should start considering introducing some flash elements, because an interesting feature like this is lost online.
Zack Depasquale •
Prosit MaltaToday ghal din il-gabra ta'kwottazjonijiet li saru matul is-snin rigward il-Libya. Zgur li l-ebda Partit f'Malta ma jista jaghjjar lill-iehor rigward konesjonijiet ma'Muammar Gaddafi, li taqbel jew ma taqbilx mieghu kien il-mexxej Libjan ghal snin shah. Kemm kien ikun ahjar li kieku l'MEP Nazzjonalista Busuttil ghamel il-homework sewwa u mhux kiteb ic-cucati li kiteb f'artiklu fuq gurnal iehor.
