'I'm still alive thanks to difficult decisions taken by Gonzi' - Libyan pilot

Prime minister Lawrence Gonzi today met with one of the pilots who defected at the height of the Libyan crisis.

The meeting was held just one day short of the two-year anniversary of the pilots' flee to safety.

"This time two years ago both Pilot Ali Faraj Al Rabty and another pilot landed in Malta flying two Mirage jets. We were faced with the difficult decision of choosing between making a statement as the Maltese people in favour of the Libyan people, or else just reacting to what the regime of Gaddafi wanted at the time," Gonzi said.

The pilot spoke of the harrowing tale whereby he had to choose between following Gaddafi's orders and bombing his own population, or defecting and abandoning his family.

"The two pilots left their families on their own during the peak of the revolution. They were desperate to find out what was happening to their families and make sure that they were not in any danger," Gonzi recalled.

Gonzi said that he was faced with another complicated decision just 24 hours later.

"Just one day after the pilots defected, another plane originating from Libya was asking for permission to land in Malta. We refused because we were informed that members of the Libyan military forces were onboard and were preparing to take the planes back to Libya," Gonzi said.

Al Rabty was at pains to express his gratitude to Gonzi, the government and Maltese people in general.

"I am still alive and talking to you today because of the difficult decisions taken by Gonzi. We put the Maltese government in a very difficult spot. It was a very courageous decision," Al Rabty said.