McCain lauds Obama for accepting Malta's call for hospital ship to Libya

In a statement released in Washington this morning, Senator McCain referred to his meeting last month in Valletta with Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who had proposed that the US would provide a hospital ship either off Malta or Libya to provide assistance to the many casualties of war.

The proposal made by the Maltese Prime Minister was taken by McCain to Washington soon after his return from meetings in Tripoli with the interim government, and formally wrote to President Obama, asking him to heed Malta's recommendation for the US to provide a hospital ship and to open up medical facilities within US bases around Europe for Libyan casualties of war.

“Today's announcement is a good step, and I hope more will follow, because Libya's need for additional medical care is enormous.  In particular, many Libyans now require prosthetics and the related rehabilitation so they can return to their lives and contribute to their nation's future.  I encourage the Administration to build on today's decision by transporting more Libyans to U.S. medical facilities in Europe and by deploying a U.S. hospital ship to Libya or Malta, where it can contribute to our humanitarian mission on behalf of all Libyans,” Senator McCain said.

The US lawmaker and one time Presidential hopeful added: “I commend the Administration for providing life-saving medical services to wounded Libyans.  We honour the many sacrifices that the Libyan people have made to liberate their nation, and our commitment to help with the care and treatment of Libya's injured citizens reflects America's strong, bipartisan support for the continued success of Libya's democratic revolution.

“The Libyan revolution is not over; it is just entering its next phase.  And now, as before, the people of Libya continue to look to the United States to support their aspirations.  In this key mission, America must continue to lead,” McCain concluded.