Malta edges closer to opening dialogue with Benghazi transitional council

Today's edition of MaltaToday esclusively reports that the meeting between Borg and recently appointed transitional Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril is reportedly set to happen on the fringes of an international conference on Libya, which sees neutral Malta invited together with Sweden to the discussion table, with representatives from the multi-national allied force currently engaged in enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya.

US secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to attend the conference while representatives from the Arab League and the African Union have also confirmed their participation.

Tonio Borg’s prospected meeting with Jibril on Tuesday signals an important change in Malta’s position so far with regards to the Benghazi-based transitional council, as a request for formal recognition has been so far ignored by the foreign office.

Contacted yesterday in Benghazi, Jibril welcomed Malta’s clarified position on the Libya crisis and stressed: “it’s the best decision Malta could have taken.”

Jibril added that he expects the meeting in London to happen, and looks forward to meeting Minister Borg to explain that “the council is ready to work close with the Maltese people and to ensure that the existing relations will be strengthened further.”

The most significant change in approach came from Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi who yesterday definitely dumped Col. Muammar Gaddafi.

Speaking on Radio 101, Gonzi admitted that his “reality check” on Gaddafi came as he noticed how during the three days that media cameras diverted their attention onto the Japanes tsunami and the world was alienated by this disaster, “Gaddafi unleashed his military machine on civilians.”

“Gaddafi’s onslaught was horrific to the extent that he managed to march straight up to the gates of Benghazi,” the Prime Minister said.

Diplomatic sources have told MaltaToday that during the London conference, Malta is expected to reiterate it’s offer for medical assistance to injured civilians in the Libyan conflict.

The move comes as the Prime Minister  hit back at critics over his decision not to allow Malta to be used as a military base for the enforcement of a no-fly zone.

“We were never asked to serve as a base, because many already know that we only have one civilian airport and even the weaponry logistics would be problematic and a high risk for passengers and their planes,” he said on Radio 101.

In last Sunday's edition of MaltaToday, Mahmoud Jibril stressed that while the council understand’s Malta’s position as a neutral state, and its acceptance to abide by the UN’s resolution, “the council is optimistic that Malta will widen its cooperation when it comes to paragraph 4 of the resolution that imposes an obligation on all states to fully cooperate in the protection of civilian lives.”

Asked if he meant that “widening the cooperation” means using Malta as a military base in enforcing the no-fly zone, Jibril Said that the council “fully understands Malta’s sensitive situation” but it would “appreciate a further effort by Malta in assisting the multinational effort in imposing the no-fly zone.”

Contacted yesterday in Benghazi, Jibril welcomed Malta’s clarified position on the Libya crisis and stressed: “it’s the best decision Malta could have taken.”

Jibril added that he expects the meeting in London to happen, and looks forward to meeting Minister Borg to explain that “the council is ready to work close with the Maltese people and to ensure that the existing relations will be strengthened further.”

The most significant change in approach came from Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who yesterday definitively renounced Col. Muammar Gaddafi.

Speaking on Radio 101, Gonzi admitted that his “reality check” on Gaddafi came as he noticed how during the three days that media cameras diverted their attention onto the Japanese tsunami and the world was alienated by this disaster, “Gaddafi unleashed his military machine on civilians.”

“Gaddafi’s onslaught was horrific to the extent that he managed to march straight up to the gates of Benghazi,” Gonzi said.

Diplomatic sources have told MaltaToday that during the London conference, Malta is expected to reiterate its offer for medical assistance to injured civilians in the Libyan conflict.

The move comes as Gonzi hit back at critics over his decision not to allow Malta to be used as a military base for the enforcement of a no-fly zone.

“We were never asked to serve as a base, because many already know that we only have one civilian airport and even the weaponry logistics would be problematic and a high risk for passengers and their planes,” he said on Radio 101.