Gonzi to visit Misurata, receive honour from locals

Accompanied by foreign minister Tonio Borg, the Prime Minister will visit Misurata as part of his official visit to a free Libya since the ouster of Col. Gaddafi's regime, and will include official talks with newly-appointed interim Prime Minister Abdulrahman El-Keib.

Gonzi's visit to Libya follows a lengthy telephone conversation with El-Keib last week, during which the two leaders expressed their intention of establishing a fruitful working relationship.

While also meeting with the National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Moustafa Jalil who visited Malta in September on his way to New York where he attended the United Nations General Council, Lawrence Gonzi is to meet a number of newly appointed ministers within the NTC government.

Some of the new ministers are known to have a close relationship with Malta.

The deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur is said to have stayed in Malta for a number of weeks prior to his appointment within the NTC, and has a number of friends within the University of Malta.

Besides long-standing pending issues related to oil exploration, illegal immigration and fisheries, the new Libyan government is keen to discuss the return of the two Dassault-Mirage fighter jets which were flown to Malta by two defecting Air Force Colonels at the height of the uprising.

While it is expected that Gonzi will announce the return of the two fighter jets, he is also to announce Malta's preparedness to assist in training the Libyan police and army.

Further assistance in public administration, health and tourism sectors is also earmarked for discussion.