Muscat returns from ‘satisfactory’ visit to Libya

Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat has returned from a short visit to Libya during which he met with the President of the Libyan National Transitional Council Moustafa Abdul Jalil, the NTC of Misurata and the Benghazi Business Chamber.

Addressing the media on his arrival to Malta, Muscat said he was satisfied with the visit - requested by Libya - and said it had left positive results.

"The PN has long been trying to give the impression that there are problems between the new Libyan leadership and the PL, but it has now been proven wrong. There was also someone who tried to ruin this visit by passing frivolous comments ... don't worry we held up our country's reputation high."

Muscat was referring to the Prime Minister's speech this morning, in which he warned the PL leader not to "tarnish Malta's reputation" with his visit to Libya.

The Libyan delegation was made up of Labour MPs Karmenu Vella, Michael Farrugia, Noel Farrugia and former foreign minister Alex Sciberras Trigona.

"These people went with me to prove the point that there are no problems between Libya and the PL's past," Muscat said, when asked why he had chosen them to accompany him to Libya.

During his visit to Benghazi, Muscat said that the Benghazi Business Chamber had raised its concerns over counterfeit products, including medicines, reaching Libya from Malta. "This is what tarnishes our reputation," Muscat added.

During yesterday's evening meeting with Jalil, Muscat expressed his support for negotiations between Malta and Libya on gas and oil and said he hoped that the discussions leave positive results.

On his visit to Misurata, Muscat said it was not only significant because of its geographical closeness to Malta, but also because it had been the first city in Libya to hold democratic elections.

In Benghazi, Muscat urged the business association to give all the support that a Maltese trade delegation would need.

Turkey's accession to the EU

On Turkey's accession to the European Union, Muscat said that the Labour Party fully supported the opening of the negotiations for country to join the EU.

"Turkey has the right to start the negotiations with the EU and no one should hinder this process," he said, adding that what was most important was that Turkey satisfied all the requirements.

Muscat said that it was important that certain conditions are met, such as minority rights, freedom of speech and the negotiations with Cyprus.

When asked whether all Labour MPs supported Turkey's bid, Muscat said that it was "premature" to comment at this stage as it was too early.

Meeting the North Korean ambassador

Asked by the PN media why had he kept the meeting with ambassador Han Tae Song a secret, Muscat said that he received courtesy calls from ambassadors "three, four times a week".

He added that during the "short" visit he had only expressed the party's condolences for their leader's demise and insisted that the "colourful adjectives" were wrongly attributed to him.

Muscat also remarked that his meeting had been as secret, as when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had told US ambassador Molly Bordonaro that the elected PN MPs offered a limited talent pool from which to select ministers.