Are we sitting on that fence or are we impaled on it?
Britain has revoked the diplomatic immunity of the Gaddafi family (without explaining why his children had it in the first place). It did so while British subjects remain in Libya.
You can delay action only for so long while some of your people are in danger. Then you’ve just got to cut and run. I get the feeling that Malta is not going to cut and run even when the last Maltese is brought back, because I suspect it’s not the Maltese people those in charge are worried about, but Maltese investments.
Joseph Muscat has spoken at last and has come out with the same rubbish line about putting the national interest first. Aside from the fact that foreign policy need not always be informed by egocentricity, that statement makes those two look like they haven’t really sat down and had a good think about what the national interest is.
The national interest is to get rid of Gaddafi, whatever it takes, so that we need no longer have to keep him happy ever again.
No pain, no gain.
It will cost a great deal in the short term, the economic problems will carry on into the medium term and many businesses will be severely hit, affecting most parts of the economy to a greater or lesser extent. But then we’ll all be better off.
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Gaddafi will be removed/deposed/ousted/killed within a week or two with or without the Maltese government diplomatically rubbishing him or not.
On the other hand some huge Maltese investments in Libya could be fatally jeopardised if the current situation is not well-managed.
The entire Corinthia group could be on the brink of failure if that mad man decides to destroy Palm City in a last sign of defiance towards its western inhabitants and a perceived adverse move by Malta.
If you think this is a remote scenario, just look at the prices the Corinthia and IHI bonds have been trading at this week on the Malta Stock Exchange.
Andrew, do you really think that if Gaddafi wanted to destroy Palm City he would hold back because “Oh look, the prudent Maltese government has not condemned me”?
We want Malta to finally condemn Gaddafi, not because it would mean anything to him but because it would mean a lot to us.
The writing is on the wall. The future lies with the Libyan government that will emerge after the demise of Gaddafi. We should not blot our copybook with that future government with a pussilanimous attitude towards the universally condemned butcher of his own people.
This afternoon I was at Is-Salib tal-Gholja and had a perfect view of today’s significant air traffic over Luqa. Besides being witness to the take-off by the Canadian C17 Globemaster and other military cargo planes, I could not help noticing a number of private jets taking off and landing. Each take-off veered over us and on towards the South. Any particular VIPs?
This seems to be an answer to my own question.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110227/local/private-flight-brings-seven-more-workers-from-libya
Now that most of the Maltese citizens in Libya have been evacuated, it’s high time we start planning to send some humanitarian aid as other countries are doing.
[Daphne – Why is it necessary to get your people out before helping those who are left behind?]
Lest the Ghaddafi authorities retaliate against our nationals most likely. A sentiment that I can understand, considering we’re talking about an individual who is cmpletely insane – but not one I necessarily agree with.
This is akin to not doing the right thing because someone is holding a gun to someone else’s head. Thing is, if he pulls the trigger and kills that someone, it was the one doing the killing who did the wrong thing and it is he who is responsible for his actions.
Naturally, the political fallout would be phenomenal.
I was just assuming that since most of our resources were busy evacuating Maltese citizens and assisting other countries in their evacuation operations, it would have been very difficult to engage in any other major activity and do both well.
Moreover, it is only now that some sort of organisation is taking shape in the eastern part of Libya with whom humanitarian missions can be coordinated.
Finally, I suck at thinking in multitasking.
Obviously.
Quite right. We cannot stay on the fence any longer. Malta should recognise the provisional government in Cyrenaica (Eastern Libya) and close down the Embassy in Attard that represents the Gadaffi regime, with the proviso that the provisional government renounces any claims on our Medina Bank. After all, good fences make good neighbours.
I know it is unlikely that will happen because our politicians eem to be there to serve Libyan and not Malta’s interests so we will keep recognising the Gadaffi government until it only holds an inch of Tripolitania while the rest of the world is negotiating with Benghazi!
Some twit on Malta Today suggested that tax payer’s money should be used to help Corinthia.
To the extent of helping evacuate people out of there, absolutely, but that’s about it.
Any talk of economic interests in the face of the massacre that has been happening is just simply vulgar. Besides Corinthia is different to many of the other businesses with interests in Libya – seeing that half of it is actually owned by the Libyan government itself, which is not a minority shareholder as Malta Today reported.
It appears that Malta Today has roped in Myriam Dalli on their reporting staff.
[Daphne – That’s another Miriam Dalli, not the one who works for Super One and has just become Karmenu Vella’s daughter-in-law (which hasn’t prevented her from interviewing him).]
Will somebody tell them that the two planes that landed in Malta last Monday were Dassault Mirage not Migs.