'MSS prevented seizure of oil tanker' in 2011, says former NTC chairman

The Malta's Secret Service had stopped forces loyal to former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi from seizing an oil tanker during the Libyan revolution, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said today.

Jalil, the former chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council, is in Malta for the launch of the book 'Gonzi and Malta's break with Gaddafi.  Recollections of a Premier.' Jalil will be the guest speaker during this event to be held this evening at The Grand Master's Palace in Valletta.

Addressing the press during his meeting with Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, Jalil said the Malta Secret Services had played a pivotal role in aiding the NTC in recovering an oil tanker that risked being seized by forces loyal to Gaddafi.

"It was the MSS who helped us stop the seizure of an oil tanker by opposing forces," Jalil said.

Jalil once again thanked Malta for the humanitarian aid given to the Libyan people during the uprising, and said Libya will never forget what Malta did.

"You have courageously served as a lifeline to the people of Libya during their most difficult hour, you supplied them with humanitarian aid and you assisted our pilots when they defected to Malta," he said.

Despite having moved away from political life for almost two years, Jalil told Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that he was following very closely the agreements which were being signed between the two countries.

He noted, that while Libya was rich in natural resources, it would take some time for the country to start producing at its maximum.

"What is going on in Libya right now is normal and expected. But those who believe in God must be optimistic and I am optimistic and Libya's future," Jalil said, adding that Libya had a lot to learn from Malta.

Muscat reassured Jalil that the Maltese government was following closely events as they unfolded in the neighbouring South African country, sometimes with "concern". He said, that his government enjoyed very close ties with Ali Zeidan's government "and a number of political forces which have come through in the past months".

At the PN's headquarters in Hamrun, Simon Busuttil said he was very concerned over the current situation in Libya.

Busuttil also paid tribute to Lawrence Gonzi, saying that the expression "a friend in need is a friend indeed" personified Gonzi's actions with Libya during the crisis.