[LIVE] Richard Cachia Caruana faces foreign affairs committee

Welcome to MaltaToday's live blog from the Foreign and European Affairs Committee which today will hear Richard Cachia Caruana, permanent representative to the EU, answer questions by foreign affairs minister Tonio Borg and Labour MP Leo Brincat.

The committee is scheduled to start at 6:30pm with questions for Richard Cachia Caruana on his role in kickstarting Malta's reactivation of agreements related to its participation in Nato's Partnership for Peace, which had been withdrawn by Labour in 1996. REFRESH HERE.

BACKGROUND Labour's imperfect withdrawal from PfP and Cachia Caruana's role in reactivating PfP

REPORT Cachia Caruana umbraged at Labour motion plus SLIDESHOW

21:07 The committee has now adjourned for next Tuesday.

21:00 As the committee is trying to adjourn, the two sides cannot agree on a day which could be "fair" - as described by Cachia Caruana - to meet. Cachia Caruana said that he couldn't come tomorrow evening: "At this point I can resign from my role as Malta's permanent representative and stay here ... Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the most important days for us."

George Vella interjected and said he couldn't accept that Cachia Caruana "dictate" when the committee should meet.

20:55 Brincat asks Cachia Caruana whether there have been occassions where he could have committed Malta's position on certain issues, with foreign governments, without government havn't yet "crystalised" its position, even though the government would go on to endorse Cachia Caruana's position.

"I took note of the insinuation and I completely understood it," Cachia Caruana replies. "My positions always reflected that of the Maltese government. My decisions were always carried out with the government's blessing... if you don't think I answered your question try again."

20:52 Brincat asks whether there have been other emails, memoranda or other written communications on PfP which were passed between Cachia Caruana and any other government official which have not yet been tabled. "This question should be made to the Prime Minister. As far as I know any extra documents do not exist. But, due to the confidentiality of certain documents, I do not have the authorisation to present such documents, but the Prime Minister does," Cachia Caruana replies.

20:46 "You cannot do your work as ambassador if you base your work on what the other side wants or what you expect them to think of you," Cachia Caruana says after Brincat suggests that Cachia Caruana favoured the US.

20:39 The EU ambassador reiterates that, irrespective of the American's impression, he had always operated on government's instructions and negotiated within Malta's parameters. Brincat says he was worried that the US thought a Maltese ambassador was telling them the plans he would be suggesting to his government, letting them know first.

20:34 Cachia Caruana says he follows written instructions. "Every time I meet someone on any issue I translate Malta's position. For us it was important that the US had raised PfP itself, especially since we were discussing the NATO documents," he explains.

20:31 Zammit Dimech and Borg are protesting against Brincat "taking four minutes to formulate one question".

20:28 "Even if I did what you're saying I did, it wasn't without government's permission as the Prime Minister has already explained that I have been acting on his orders," he says. Cachia Caruana adds that Washington had written much more things which were "unknown" to the Maltese.

20:23 "We want to establish whether you were trying to establish something with the Americans before being granted the permission from government. The timing of the embassy cable, the same day the cable was written, was the day you sent your memo to the government, suggesting that you could have given Washington a reply before consulting with government on such an important issue," Brincat explains.

20:18 Brincat asks for a reaction over comments made political-military officer Jeremy Brenner.

"What I told the Americans has already been tabled by the Prime Minister, including my proposal. My memorandum has also been tabled. I am ready to answer to questions, even those not written by me, raised by Malta. However I will not shoulder responsibility for statements made by an American official," Cachia Caruana replies.

20:13 Cachia Caruana tells Brincat that if the Opposition is stating that the motion has nothing to do with the Partnership for Peace, "that's not the perception out there, including abroad".

20:11 Cachia Caruana adds that the contexts of 2004 and 2011 had been different. "Obvously there were individuals who misinterpreted what was written," he adds.

20:06 Brincat asks why Cachia Caruana never asked for clarifications after WikiLeaks leaked the documents, for any alleged misquotations. "I probably did like all other Maltese who found their names in these WikiLeaks: I ignored them". He said that certain issues had been "twisted" - "either intentional or not".

"The cable was published by MaltaToday. As always I have the tendency to ignore what appears in MaltaToday and many other things written by Saviour Balzan. I don't answer to certain things which appear in that newspaper," he says.

Brincat says what was written in WikiLeaks had been published much before MaltaToday reported them.

20:03 George Vella asks why Cachia Caruana never suggested to the Prime Minister that the reactivation of PfP should be discussed in parliament. "In 2004 there were no formal requests or decisions, just the decision to investigate the hypothesis and see what would be the reactions of countries and organisations involved."

19:56 "I'd like to clarify that I respect the role of the minister and I think that certain questions being raised should be made to the respective minister," Cachia Caruana states. "Neither myself nor the ministers tried to escape this committee. According to your [Brincat's] fact I should have come more frequently and I accept that."

19:52 Cachia Caruana adds that his limited appearance was down to scheduling conflicts. Brincat asks whether Cachia Caruana avoided a committee meeting on purpose.

19:48 Brincat asks why Cachia Caruana didn't meet before this committee every six months, as had been suggested by former minister Michael Frendo. "I never had any problems to appear before parliament. I came five other times. I'm in an uncomfortable position: it is not me who decides when I come but the chairman, but guess I should have insisted on coming more..." Cachia Caruana says. Brincat insists that Cachia Caruana should have appeared 12 times, but only came three times.

19:45 Zammit Dimech and Brincat are currently speaking over each other's heads. "I have made my point. I will raise my question in parliament," Brincat says.

19:43 Zammit Dimech tells Brincat he "knows" the line of questioning aims "for media to report that I have stopped you from making your questions". He insists that the questions are irrelevant for the motion and such questions should be raised at the Public Affairs Committee. The question is "abusive" and "you are not fighting perceptions", Zammit Dimech says as Brincat insists "you are a discriminating chairman, leading with political bias".

19:40 Opposition's spokesman for foreign affairs George Vella says the questions are aimed at solving the "mystery" and perceptions which surround Cachia Caruana. "These are the terms of reference of our questions," he says.

19:36 "Since you have not justified your question, the witness cannot answer," the chairman said. Luciano Busuttil interjects and insists it should be the witness to decide whether to answer or not.

"Do you find any objections to table the Forms1 of the past five years and to state whether your financial package has changed?" Brincat asks Cachia Caruana.

But Zammit Dimech interjects again, insisting Cachia Caruana should not answer. "The questions are not relevant to the motion. You have not explained their relevance to the motion," Zammit Dimech says.

19:34 "Your questions are aimed at character assassination," Zammit Dimech tells Brincat as Cachia Caruana stares at the two arguing at each other. Zammit Dimech tells Brincat that his questions should be raised in parliament. "Are you censoring me?" Brincat tells Zammit Dimech.

19:32 Brincat insists that while Cachia Caruana is answering the question "to the best of his abilities", Borg and Zammit Dimech were acting as "gatekeepers". Brincat says he wants to see how much salary is Cachia Caruana being paid out of the taxpayers' money and wants to see if any amendments to the contracts were made. "I am asking a question which involves the public interest," he says.

19:30 As Brincat asks Cachia Caruana to table a copy of his contract, Zammit Dimech and Tonio Borg raise their voice in protests against the request, insisting that the question was irrelevant and that it should not be raised in this committee.

19:29 Cachia Caruana says Prime Minister had already replied to how much was his salary - Scale 1 plus 10%.

19:23 Zammit Dimech tells Brincat that he cannot understand how his [Brincat's] questions are relevant to the motion. Brincat replies: "Give me time to ask my questions and I'll show you why."

19:22 Brincat is asking whether there would be other individuals, who like Cachia Caruana, attend Cabinet meetings.

19:19 Foreign affairs minister protests to the questions being raised by Brincat. "What kind of questions are these?" he asks. Brincat retorts that there are no personal attacks in his questions and insists that just like the Opposition side had allowed the government MPs to ask their questions, Borg should do the same. Brincat is saying he's trying to establish whether the public perception that Cachia Caruana was the power behind the throne was true or not.

19:16 Brincat asks him to specify whom Cachia Caruana answers to in government. Cachia Caruana says he follows two stream: the Office of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Ministry. "I report directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he says, adding that there were other persons who represented Malta with other bodies.

19:12 Brincat asks Cachia Caruana to table his job description. "If you think I keep my job description in my pocket, you're mistaken," Cachia Caruana replies, taken aback by the question. He however replies that he would have no problem in fulfilling the request.

19:10 Borg concludes his questions. Labour MP Leo Brincat takes the floor.

19:08 Borg asked whether NATO had still considered the 1995 agreement with Malta as valid.

19:06 Cachia Caruana says he had asked the US government to explain why the US embassy to NATO had presented one stand, while the US embassy to Europe presented a different one. "I protested against the conflicting message being sent by Washington. In any case I had said Malta would not make any request to NATO before we would be sure of the outcome," he said. Cachia Caruana said official minutes showed Malta didn't want any changes to Malta's position over PfP agreements made.

19:02 Cachia Caruana explains he met with Ambassador Schnabel on 8 November, 2004. The following day he made his recommendations to the Prime Minister who went on to table his recommendations to the Cabinet.

19:01 Borg asks whether all countries, including Austria and Finland who are not members of NATO, have to sign the security of documents agreement. Cachia Caruana agrees. He explains that even Russia had to sign the agreement, despite being a NATO member.

19:00 Cachia Caruana says Malta never signed any security agreements with NATO, and the only document signed was a security of documents agreement.

18:58 Malta's permanent representative to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana asked to enter the committee room. Deputy prime minister Tonio Borg and Labour MP Leo Brincat to pose their questions this evening.

18:57 Zammit Dimech explains delay due to a commemoration in House.

18:53 The majority of MPs on the foreign affairs committee, including committee chairman Francis Zammit Dimech are now in the committee room.

18:42 Still waiting for the MPs to gather inside the committee room.