If you've said No already, then nobody is going to ask
Britain's defence secretary, Liam Fox
The prime minister insisted again yesterday morning that he had received no requests for Malta to be used as a military base. And please note that I have said ‘military base’ and not ‘air base’. I am a little tired of hearing the prime minister and everyone else use the two interchangeably. Listening to them all talk, you begin to wonder whether they grew up in the same Malta that I did: the very same Malta that was – yes – a military base, with all that this entailed, and not just an airstrip and some hangars.
The prime minister really upsets me when he is deliberately disingenuous, and talks as though his audience is made up only of the blindly loyal and the drop-jawed idiotic. I find it insulting. He rarely does it, but when he does, it is just so irritating.
This is one example. Of course he hasn’t received any requests to have military operations based out of Malta. Why would anyone make such a request when the prime minister declared at the outset that if they did, his answer would be ‘no’?
There will be no requests until he signals a willingness to reconsider. That’s how it works.
Two weeks ago, The Sunday Times (Malta) interviewed Britain’s defence secretary, Liam Fox. I’ve pulled up the interview and taken another look at it.
Some bits are really quite telling.
Q. Would Malta be needed as a base to enforce a no-fly zone?
Not necessarily. But if we had a humanitarian catastrophe and the EU, NATO and the UN wanted to ensure we were all playing a part, then naturally Malta would become part of the discussions.
Whether the government of Malta felt they would be able to operate on this basis is entirely a matter for them in relation to how they think their concept of neutrality fits with international law related to what might be a humanitarian disaster.
Of course, the more countries cooperating, the more options we have in terms of our physical ability to carry it (no-fly zone) out. But I have to say that remains a hypothetical issue at the moment.
Q. Why does the UK continue to oppose taking refugees from Malta in the eventuality of an exodus of refugees from Libya arriving in Malta?
We would hope that we would be able to stabilise the situation in Libya so there will not be this huge movement of people. It is in the interests of the people of Libya and in the interests of the people in Europe that we get a situation where they don’t want to leave their country.
That’s why our efforts are on resolving the conflict in Libya and getting a transition to a peaceful, stable and more representative government, rather than trying to have plans to deal with the failure of policy.
Q. But if there is an influx of refugees to Malta from Libya, and Britain refuses to take some of the refugees, what would Malta have to show for all the help it has given Britain in recent weeks?
As I say, our focus at the moment is on resolving the problem. If we are unsuccessful, and if there is a net migration of people – and there are a lot of ‘ifs’ in that sentence – we would want to look at that, but we would be doing that along with the whole of the European Union, and the whole of the European Union would have to accept its responsibilities in such a situation.
I’m sure that we would take part in those discussions if and when they arose, but overwhelmingly we want to make sure we don’t get to that position – as I’m sure does the government of Malta.
Q. How can Britain participate in enforcing a no-fly zone now it no longer has any aircraft carriers in service?
We will be participating as with other European nations. We have a NATO base in Sicily; there are other countries with fast jet capabilities; we’re not that far off the southern coast of Europe, and we have our sovereign base area in Cyprus.
We also have our command and control, and we have British AWACs, so we have a number of assets we could bring to that. There is no real need at the moment that requires fast jets from an aircraft carrier.
Q. If Mr Gaddafi remains in power long term, would the British government be able to re-establish relations with the regime?
Our aim is very clear, which is to isolate and hasten the removal of the Gaddafi regime and move to more representative government. That will continue to be the aim of our policy. The quicker Colonel Gaddafi goes, the better – for Libya, for the Libyan people, and for Europe.
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We showed the UN a no-entry sign.
A ‘please ring the bell’ sign would have served us better.
I cannot understand the purpose of reproducing the above interview given by Britain’s defence secretary, Liam Fox to The Sunday Times (Malta). He was particularly evasive regarding any possible mass migration to Malta by Libyan citizens and regarding Britain’s commitment to share the burden.
[Daphne – Might I point you back in the direction of that big debate we had some days ago on how people who don’t speak British English as a first language think that native speakers use codes? But they aren’t codes. That’s British English. Liam Fox wasn’t evasive at all. He was clear and direct. His message was this: “Britain is not making contingency plans for a refugee crisis. Instead, it is acting to make sure that no such crisis occurs. If a refugee crisis is going to be such a big problem for Malta, then Malta should help Britain avoid it, rather than asking Britain to help deal with it.”]
With regards to Dr. Gonzi not being asked to participate fully because he had said ‘no’ from the start, would one be naive enough that if push come to shove, someone from the EU or NATO would not have asked anyway?
[Daphne – No, they wouldn’t. Of course not. That is the difference between the EU, NATO and Gaddafi’s regime, which keeps pestering our prime minister with telephone calls and visits and ignoring his resistance, because people like that don’t understand boundaries.]
Neither the EU nor Britain in particular need complain about Malta’s reluctance to provide that which we don’t have, because when it mattered Malta gave up more than its share in preserving democracy in Europe in general and in this much less dangerous circumstance, what’s wrong if Europe and US and others do something for us? Actually we are asking for nothing, thank you, just to let us make our own decisions, even if such decisions may be a bit unpopular.
[Daphne – Come again? “Malta gave up more than its share in preserving democracy in Europe in general”? How so? This is the most incredible remark. So you, too, are yet another example of the people I described in my newspaper column today: Nationalists who agree with the prime minister’s refusal to offer military support to the British because of historic political antipathy to ‘the English’. The people who think as you do about Malta’s part in WWII – which is what I assume you refer to here – are those of the ‘mietna ghall-barrani’ and ‘we got dragged in because of the British’ mentality. Disgraceful. Read a few books about WWII and work out whether Malta gave its fair share or not. I can tell you this: just as with the current scenario, we had others do the work for us and then we complained because they did, saying that if it hadn’t been for them we wouldn’t have had to suffer the effects of bombs. And like those people who don’t realise that the alternative would have been occupation by Mussolini (please don’t tell me that you come from the sort of family that would actually have loved that) so too people in Malta today don’t seem to understand that the alternative to military intervention is pure hell for all concerned, and that includes us.]
Let’s face it, the foreign media has been unkind, inaccurate and biased against Malta, more through sheer ignorance or by being fed false information, which, I fear, could very well, be emanating from a Malta source!
[Daphne – No, Angus. The ‘foreign media’ you describe are understandably pissed off watching their taxes and their armed forces go to work paying with their money and perhaps even their lives for the liberation of Malta from Gaddafi while Malta does sweet FA and reaps the benefits – while having the brass neck to complain “Look here, your bombs and all those planes passing through our air space are costing us some conference bookings. Do you mind?” You live in North America, I believe. Well, whether it’s Canada or the USA, if you pay tax then I must ask you how you feel watching your taxes being used to liberate Malta while Malta complains about it. Don’t you feel the urge to react by saying: “Stuff you and keep Gaddafi if you love him so much, and we’ll keep our taxes, thank you very much.” The foreign media no more need a Malta source than I need a source in Libya to work out what’s going on there. We live in the internet age, remember.]
Sometimes we complain about the poor quality of our Maltese journalists and I often agreed, but during this Libyan episode having followed at all kinds of hours of days and nights, I am about to change my perception because the outright lies, twists, inaccuracies and ignorance shown on the television media including CNN, Aljazeera, BBC, Sky and now RAI, has nausiated me and convinced me that most reporters are cut from the same cloth.
[Daphne – Which lies and twists, Angus? Did Sky News by any chance get somebody to very accurately impersonate Tonio Borg? Did they find a John Dalli doppelganger and wheel him out at the Malta Business Bureau breakfast to talk about ‘them and us’? I am constantly glued to the news media and the only lies and twists I can remember in this entire saga are the ‘Libyan warships in Maltese waters’ and ‘Aisha circling overhead’ stories, both on Al Jazeera.]
Daphne is right on when she says people in North America have an urge to say “stuff you”. Read the comments here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110319/ap_on_re_af/af_libya#mwpphu-container
This is a sample of what might be in store for the world in the future, when the current young generation of Tweeters takes the helm.
North America is SELF SUFFICIENT in everything. There might come a day when a Congress and a Presidency (American) might come up with an ‘enough is enough’ and will leave the rest of the world (barring their super friends, the British), to float on its own.
Then we will see what will happen to the rest of ‘free’ Europe, including Malta. Shall we prepare our turbans and throw away our shaving blades, or shall we start learning Chinese?
“North America is SELF SUFFICIENT in everything.”
No it isn’t: Grain and oil. And rare-earth elements.
Daphne, Since you chose to rebut my remarks point by point, may I have the courtest of some space in order to reply?
1. Mr. Fox was not evasive but rather used the Queen’s English and it’s up to us peasants to decipher his true feelings ‘between the lines’? Pure tripe. Mr. Fox is intelligent enough that he should know that when addressing peasants he should lower his language standards for us to comprehend his true feelings. That’s below him, you say?
[Daphne – That is not what I said at all. I merely tried to explain to you that British English, used by anyone not raised in the underclass, is direct but unfailingly polite. This politeness might range from warm to icy-cold, and those who are not familiar with the nuances can miss them altogether. There is a very telling scene in The King’s Speech, when the speech therapist calls on the Duke of York, who has quarrelled with him, only to be told by his equerry: “His Royal Highness is very busy.” And the speech therapist (who is Australian) replies: “Oh, I can wait.” The equerry repeats, this time more firmly: “His Royal Highness is very busy, sir.” And then the speech therapist gets it. If Maltese politicians, like Australian speech therapists in the 1930s, are not familiar with the inbuilt codes of polite but direct speech, they should engage the services of mandarins who are.]
2. The difference between the EU and NATO and the Gaddafi regime is hardly one of ‘pestering the PM’ with frivolous requests. The difference is – we belong in the EU and although we are not members of NATO, the communication between the two and Malta are by far more vital than any Libya-Malta chats, especially under the present circumstances.
[Daphne – Oh good, we agree – but with the difference that I believe the Maltese prime minister should have refused to receive Bagdadi and to take calls from him and from other Gaddafi emissaries once it became clear what was happening and certainly after the UN Security Council resolution.]
3. Yes, Malta gave much more than it could afford to give during WWII. You are younger and not even born between 1939 and 1945, so you only know from reading/believing reports of the time.
[Daphne – Actually, not, Angus. Aside from the fact that I am widely read in the subject – and war historians are not gossips, to be believed or not like Super One – I have the firsthand accounts of all four of my grandparents who lived well into my adulthood, and of both my parents, who despite having been born in 1938 have vivid, graphic memories of those years because they lived in the thick of it in Valletta and Sliema. All four of my paternal grandfather’s brothers were officers in active service in WWII: a US Army major involved in the southern Italian landings, a British Army captain taken prisoner by the Germans and incarcerated in a POW camp, an army colonel and major serving in Malta. Their sister, married to a lieutenant in the British army serving in the Far East, was in a POW camp there along with her two infant children, while her husband was subjected by the Japanese to the horrors you might have come to know of through films (which you may, as you suggest, choose to believe or not believe) and which caused him, though he survived, serious mental distress necessitating years of care. Their mother (my great-grandmother) lost her home – a large house in Merchants Street, Valletta – and all its contents when it took a direct hit by a bomb. My maternal grandmother’s parents also lost their home in Sliema that way. And her brother, who had volunteered for the US Army when war broke out, was one of the soldiers who ‘liberated’ a German death camp, and was left permanently traumatised by what he saw as one of the first to go in. The curious thing is that none of them ever said that they got dragged into it because of the British or the Americans (I notice that the only ones who say that are those whose antecedents sat out the war). They knew exactly who to blame: the Germans, Italian fascists and the Japanese.]
Switzerland was and stayed neutral during the same period and was not invaded or bombed.
[Daphne – Angus, Switzerland was the official banker to the SS, keeping safe the vast hoards of loot filched off the Jewish people who the Nazis murdered.]
I am not a British hater, though not especially enamoured by its treatment after the war was over. You must be not terribly well informed about Malta’s role in helping the allies shut the supply lane linking Italy to North Africa.
[Daphne – See my notes above. When I told you – or was it somebody else? – some days ago that I come from a martial family, I wasn’t joking. My surname is not Caruana Galizia, Angus – that’s my married name. I am actually very well informed about these matters and that’s one reason I become extremely impatient with people who are not, and especially impatient with those who assume I know nothing when the reality is that they know nothing about me.]
4. The international media has no right to be ‘pissed off’ at Malta’s stance. This is government to government business and not a topic for two-bit wrong reporting of Malta’s geographic position, that it has available military bases and that it should automatically join in whether it likes it or not. What kind of sovereignty would that be?
[Daphne – You clearly understand very little of the role of journalism in a democracy, despite living in North America.]
5. Media lies and inaccuracies, like the pinning of the Union flag on Malta as if we still ‘belong’ to Britain, like false reports of Gaddafi’s daughter circling above our airport and being denied landing here, like we are siding with the Gaddafi regime, like we are shooting at Libyan and other refugees, hence their landing at Lampedusa? Need I carry on?
[Daphne – The story about Aisha Gaddafi came from a Maltese person in Malta. Those of us who work in journalism know who it is, but we’d rather not tell civilians like you given that you seem to despise what we do. The accusation that Maltese soldiers shoot at incoming refugees was made by one of those Italians with whom the anti-British elements in our society appear to be much enamoured still. Perhaps they should try to imagine a top British presenter doing the same on BBC 1. That’s right, it’s impossible. The Union flag was pinned to Malta on Sky News largely because, I suspect, nobody imagined that Malta would be such an ass-hole, especially not after playing the hero in that evacuation exercise.]
Daphne, I have been reading your blog long enough to understand that Caruana Galizia is your married name. Your biography and family tree explanations are repetitions of similar versions given several times to different people over the last several years, but in this instance had nothing to do with my points raised and which you, quite frankly did not address.
[Daphne – I did address them, Angus. You suggested that I speak the way I do because I know nothing. I pointed out that I know rather more than most, and why.]
Your last comment about ‘civilians like me who seem to dispise what journalists do’, is certainly below the belt and totally uncalled for. That I prefer journalists who do their job of reporting news and go as far as expressing their opinion about what’s happening, there is no question. But I think I have the right to hate journalists who manufacture news in order to make themselves appear as if they know what they are talking about and are often quite wrong.
[Daphne – Hate is a strong word, isn’t it? Also, in circumstances like these, it is misdirected.]
Talk about Malta being an ass-hole by your reckoning, I heard and watched Obama’s speech on TV last night. By your estimate of Malta’s behaviour regarding the Libyan affair, then you must grade Obama similarly, if you heard his speech at all.
He couldn’t make up his mind whether to apologize for ordering his armed forces to pour over 200 missiles at Libyan targets, or to claim that the US is a leader and has the right to intervene ‘when the interests of his country are to be protected’ or ‘not to stand by when civilians are being murdered’.
But then he made a mistake of naming Syria and Yemen, stating that those are ‘other situations’ and that the outcome of their troubles may be different! Were those the words of a yo-yo, or the measured response to situations which may be tearing his guts and having arrived at a determination which is ‘damned if he does and damned if he does not?
[Daphne – It was a very good speech which addressed the issues. Barack Obama has to deal with the US version of Angus Black, who thinks that we should stay out of it and let others fight their own battles. Instead of acting as our prime minister did, he acted as a leader should, and then faced his people and told them why.]
Following Obama was a discussion on CNN where three guests, one an expert, one Senator and, Donald Trump, nonetheless had a very lively discussion, with three different opinions and definitely no common conclusion.
[Daphne – I watched it. But I’m not one of those people who changes my opinion according to opinions I hear on the television. I change my opinion when the facts change, or when I notice things that I hadn’t noticed before.]
But the little ass-hole Malta should have risen above all and clearly prostituted herself at the expense of the safety of its citizens, their investments in Libya and the well paying jobs they had and which may still be salvageable given a reasonable outcome of this mess. I want to point out that my opinion has nothing to do with the so called ‘neutrality clause’ in the Constitution.
[Daphne – Angus, answer this. Do you believe in the doctrine of self-reliance? I do. God helps those who help themselves. You can leave God out of it if you will, but the doctrine stays the same. This belief is completely alien to the Maltese mindset. Completely alien. We don’t help ourselves, we don’t do our duty in helping others and over and above that, we expect everyone to help us at their expense. It is to this that I object. What if everyone else were to adopt the attitude of Malta and Germany and sit back thinking ‘Let the others do it’. What you say here is this: Malta shouldn’t pull its weight in the action against Gaddafi, but when it comes to benefitting from the result, it should be right in there with the rest. What is the moral basis for your argument? Please explain, because I am genuinely interested. I find amoral pragmatists fascinating, and not necessarily in a good way.]
Also it is worth noting that the Interim Council in Benghazi is still not officially recognized by any other country, a full three weeks after Sarkozy jumped the gun and who you hailed as a hero!
[Daphne – Yes, he is a hero. And you have the word of the Libyan people on that. They are the ones who count. Not Angus Black of Maltese extraction but living in North America.]
Daphne, I will answer the one question you posed:” Angus, answer this. Do you believe in the doctrine of self-reliance?”
The answer is, yes I do as much as you do. That is exactly my point. Self reliance is the ability to act according to ones capability.
Malta’s capability to handle a situation like Libya’s is near zilch. For goodness sakes, even if Gozo had to rebel, we would have difficulty controlling the situation! For heaven’s sakes did we not (nearly) face similar situations in Malta when government backed thugs fired on their brethren who, by the way, were not rioting, but merely exercising their rights with police permit in hand, to hold a political meeting?
Did the British or Americans drop in to calm things down? Of course not, it was not their problem and Malta, here or not, would not have mattered much to them. In other words, it was ‘not in their interest’ to take matters inn their own hands.
So, by the same token why, for goodness sake, would Malta go beyond a humanitarian effort in transferring escapees from Gaddafi’s atrocities? Are we morally bound to send our troops in harm’s way or to offer our only link to the outside world (MIA is privately owned, if I recall) jeopardising our daily bread and butter? It’s OK now to say ‘but Gaddafi’s capability has been reduced to nothing’, but when the decision was taken, neither you nor I, nor anyone else could predict how things would turn out especially if the powers-to-be took their sweet time deciding if and what to do.
And, do you think for a moment that living in North America is influencing my thinking which, I can assure you, is identical in the minds of the majority?
I think that this subject has outlived its relevance and it is about time we start hearing about other topics. Of course, this is not my blog and I am grateful that my diverging opinions are even printed here. Two interesting topics would be the nuclear disaster (in the making?) in Japan and the arrival (in the hundreds this time) of Somalian ‘illegal immigrants’ now that there are no Libyan controls at their ports and that the Italians have renegged on the ‘Friendship Treaty’ with Gaddafi.
Wrong on all counts.
1. Qatar recognised the INC.
2. Citizens of most – if not all – countries in the coalition had investments and well paid jobs in Libya.
3. Citizens are protected by getting rid of Gaddafi, not by sitting back and trying to ride out the conflict.
Haven’t you heard? We will now be enforcing a no fly zone over Italy until we get a formal apology from Domenica In, RAI, Berlusconi and Napolitano.
“Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini set out the broad outlines of a diplomatic plan to resolve the crisis in Libya that could include exile for Gaddafi.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110327/local/frattini-wants-ceasefire-in-libya
That’s what friends are for!
Essentially, what he’s saying is that he’s feeling no pressure; and no indication that they require Malta as a military base. This is not about requests. If they truly needed Malta there would have been pressure, subtle or otherwise, depending on need.
[Daphne – They probably have done, Kevin. But while the prime minister is quick to tell us about pressure applied by Gaddafi, as this depicts the government’s resistance in a heroic light, he is not going to be quick to talk about pressure, however slight, from the coalition forces, because resisting that, he has discovered to his dismay, does not go down so well among many of those who voted for him, though it plays really well with Laburisti like you.]
“They probably have done”……and when it is not written you assume.
All I could see were showers of praise on Malta’s role, you interpret it as Brit-speak , I prefer it at face value.
They don’t need a Malta base to help them oust Gaddafi.
[Daphne – Ah, but it would have helped. You see showers of praise because that is what you want to see. The reality, I fear, is burgeoning resentment towards Malta’s stance – resentment and suspicion. And this not just from the coalition forces, but manifestly also from the incomers in Libya who we shall have to deal with. Another point: it should embarrass you, not make you ‘proud’, that Malta has had to be praised for what it has done, like a child who has made its bed without being told. Does Britain expect praise for its air strikes? Does the US? Does France? No. Has the Maltese prime minister written to David Cameron to praise and thank him for his efforts in getting through the UN Security Council resolution? And if he had, would David Cameron release the letter to the press as a sort of ‘certifikat’? Exactly.]
” for what it has done, like a child who has made its bed without being told. Does Britain expect praise for its air strikes? Does the US? Does France? No ”
How did you come to that conclusion NO??. They expect more than thanks ,I am sure that they will get preferential treatment for oil services, work contracts etc… Even the rebels said so.
As I told you before only the Prime Minister really knows what is really happening and how Malta is helping Nato.
Do you expect that our Prime Minister tells all the whole world of what we are really doing.
[Daphne – No, Edward: I meant THANKS FROM MALTA.]
Why does only the Prime Minister know what is happening? He needn’t tell the whole world, but he could certainly tell people back home.
“Our aim is very clear, which is to isolate and hasten the removal of the Gaddafi regime and move to more representative government. That will continue to be the aim of our policy. The quicker Colonel Gaddafi goes, the better – for Libya, for the Libyan people, and for Europe”
Simple, clear, and straightforward statement. Now, what is it that is preventing the Malta government from unequivocally endorsing that statement, or from coming up with a similar one of its own?
“…what would Malta have to show for all the help it has given Britain in recent weeks?”
Is it just me who flushes with embarrassment when I read this question?
1. When you help someone, you don’t expect anything back. We’re not the Mafia trading favours. We help because we believe in certain principles and ideals regardless of the consequences.
2. That question makes us sound like the weight of the world rests on our shoulders. I can imagine Mr Fox chuckling while wanting to ask “And what is it you have done exactly?”
‘Irritating’?, Daphne? He’s lost the plot. I wonder if he will receive an invitation to the Royal Wedding, wearing the ‘George Cross’ medal. He’s insulted and demeaned the nation and the deserving Maltese who fought for it.
Something is moving to the right direction.
HMS Westminster berthed at the Grand Harbour.
N.L.,
HMS Westminster simply stopping over AFTER terminating its tour of duty off the Libyan coast is just another case of “I wouldn’t say [we are not against Gaddafi] – we even let a British frigate tie up in Malta for a few hours while not on active duty.”
Now that is what I call a tremendous contribution by Malta to UN efforts to bring Gaddafi to justice.
Here’s an update on Iman Al- Obeidi –
http://feb17.info/general/emans-mother-speaks-out/
Tghid KMB ha jghidlha “Dak int qed tghidu” ?
BBC (or was it SKYNEWS) yesterday evening showed a video clip of women in Benghazi demonstrating publicly in favour of this incredibly brave woman.
I thought it was extremely encouraging and good news.
May God help and protect this plucky lady.
Daphne , Can you please be more specific and state what are the “military base” requirements other than that of an “air base”, being used by the alliance forces. Indeed can you mention one such “military base”, which is not an air base which is being used by the alliance force due to Malta’s non acceptance of its use as a military base. Thank you.
[Daphne – The most screamingly obvious, David: Grand Harbour. And please do not deliberately miss my essential point. As a man from a very civilised background, you definitely know the difference between these two statements, both in terms of implications and of level of churlishness:
1. We will not allow ourselves to be used as a military base, and if we are asked, the answer will be no.
2. We cannot possibly use our airport for the launch of air strikes against Libya because it is a civilian airport and we have no alternative, but we have otherwise put ourselves at the disposal of the coalition forces and have told them that we would gladly help in their commendable efforts to protect Libyan civilians, and this in any other way we possibly can. Malta wishes to make its commitment to the common cause.
I trust all is now clear. My main objection is on grounds of very, very poor manners indeed, and the poor judgement from which they spring. There is never any excuse for churlishness, and particularly not when others are doing so much.]
Luqa airport could have easily serviced a couple of airborne fuel tankers. It is probably not required in view of the range at which these aircraft operate but at least we should have offered our assistance.
The important thing is to help drive home the UN’s message to Gaddafi: that we are all pulling together with the coalition and that our message is one – relinquish power and leave Libya.
More importantly, Malta would have stood firm by the EU without shirking its global responsibilities.
Gilleti’s comments on Domenica In yesterday were really disgusting. Maltese ambassador Walter Balzan was not so good either.
But I think that the question as to why Lampedusa and not Malta, the answer is so obvious that a Form V student could reply. Lampedusa forms part of Italy with a vast hinterland’ once in Malta you are really and truly stuck.
That question should be put to the “travellers”. They know and are well briefed.
[Daphne – Actually, the reason why people who leave Tunisia end up in Lampedusa and not Malta is geography and nothing else. It’s also the reason why people who leave Libya end up in Malta, if they leave from the east, and in Cyprus and Greece, if they leave from the west – and not Lampedusa.]
Interesting article you may wish to post: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/05/08/060508fa_fact_solomon
It is a pity Malta is losing so much prestiege that it has gained throughout the centuries. Perhaps a chat with Eddie Fenech Adami at this point would be useful.
Here’s hoping that the new government soon to be installed in Tripoli will have the following situation on top of its list:
http://www.webcitation.org/5xVFjAJnV
And then there’s this, from Hilary Clinton.
“Clinton said the elements that led to intervention in Libya — international condemnation, an Arab League call for action, a United Nations Security Council resolution — are “not going to happen” with Syria, in part because members of the U.S. Congress from both parties say they believe Assad is “a reformer.”
“What’s been happening there the last few weeks is deeply concerning, but there’s a difference between calling out aircraft and indiscriminately strafing and bombing your own cities,” Clinton said, referring to Qaddafi’s attacks on the Libyan people, “than police actions which, frankly, have exceeded the use of force that any of us would want to see.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-27/u-s-won-t-intervene-in-syria-unrest-clinton-says-on-cbs.html
Yeah right…what it means is that it’s OK for a regime to call itself a reformer, have some fans in the US Congress and be careful to only use small deadly weapons agains unarmed civilians, not large, heavy ones. If you do that, the US will let you alone to engage in your favourite pastimes. What revolting hypocrisy.
You’re calling for immoral consistency. Here’s an explanation:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-28/obamas-libya-speech-why-consistency-in-foreign-policy-is-overrated/?om_rid=NsgR$D&om_mid=_BNkNnqB8Z3-FhU
What does it gain our country to intervene more deeply in such conflicts, surely we do not have the same interest as the Uk, so, Mr. Fox, please leave us in peace, we had enough pain and sorrow in the last world war, we are a serene and peaceful country, minding our own business, we have done our part to the best of our ability in helping with the evacuation, our Prime Minister did well to take this stand, he has no interest for any personal glory, but only to safeguard this island, its constitution and its people, we are a wind’s blow away from our neighbouring country, and us maltese, living on this small rock are very much aware of this, what is there for us to “gain”, the Prime minister is right to distant our country from creating “pain”
For those preferring a jaundiced approach to the situation in Libya, kindly follow this link:
http://audioboo.fm/boos/314174-lpc-misrata-airstrikes-stranded-foreign-workers-casualties-from-shelling-libya
Perhaps the nay-sayers, flip-floppers, the anti-imperialists, anti-British, anti-this and anti-that, ought to take particular note of the last few minutes of this interview….
Do our politicians think that they are going to politely ask us if we have changed our minds? Who do they think they are?
completely different issue…Airmalta just launched new destination in March to Palermo. Guess What ? Airmalta will not operate the route after end April . Which airline in the world starts a new route and operates it for two (shoulder) months. Airmalta does not know where it’s going – literally.
You’re right Daphne, we are intent on sitting on the fence.
I do hope that our politicians won’t go licking their wounds to the incoming regime for some of the crumbs which fall from that table, once the cake has been devoured by the real Europeans.
We like the Italians, are a nation of hypocrites and still retain that submissive and servile mentality brought forward from colonial times.
We might have attained our political independance in ’64 but still resolve to servitude to anyone foreign.
[Daphne – That last bit…not really. What we are seeing now is the manifestation of the very opposite: a desperate desire to prove that no, we are not servile and will resist all attempts at having our former coloniser ‘use us’ as a military base. I suppose you’re right in the sense that lots of Maltese (and several of them appear to be in the Nationalist Party) haven’t yet got over their problems with the British. Had they been well-balanced and rational (“I’m so over it”) they would have dealt with the matter very differently instead of trying to prove some sad and blighted point. It was horrible and shocking hearing Gonzi speak like Mintoff, with all that cant about neutrality and not allowing Malta to be used. Fortunately, he changed tack when he realised how badly this came across.]
We have hedged our bets wrongly in this one and these decisions will come to haunt us in the forseeable future when Gaddafi is ousted and the new pro- western regime comes to decide who gets the contracts.
John Dalli and our small-minded politicians are going to have an uphill struggle in convincing the new Libyan leaders of how well Malta ‘played its part’ – in helping expatriates to escape from their country while they were left behind to deal with the mess. And all this while our prime minister took time out to chat with Gaddafi’s emissaries in person and over the telephone.
Lorna, we actually hedged our bets right. Now, let’s see. The West winning contracts over ‘others’ is highly unlikely after having been bombed and having encouraged the rebels to fight the Gaddafi regime. Don’t get me wrong, I am as anti-Gaddafi as they come, but you don’t simply kiss and make up with someone who just bloodied your nose.
But the point is not ‘Malta’s gains’ – heaven forbid I even go there! The point is that if Malta invited the coalition to use our airport or Grand Harbour, it would have given but a miniscule hand. You don’t throw caution to the wind when the consequences of your actions cannot be quantified. The government’s decision to say ‘no’ to using Malta as some sort of a base was taken in the early days of the conflict and not after most of Gaddafi’s air force was made toast.
It was ridiculously suggested that the PM had opportunities to make a U turn and ‘make amends’. Why? Did Angela Merkel do such a thing after she washed her hands of joining the coalition? So, now who are we trying to compare our PM to?
Even the Arab League had a tough time joining in the no-fly initiative and after they consented, they had second thoughts. They didn’t expect ‘so much bombing’ by the coalition! Seems to me that they must have been living in la-la land and not listened to several American generals saying that ‘we will have to take out Libya’s military and radar installations before we even talk about a no-fly zone’.
Politicians know very well that what they say will be subject to speculation, interpretation and that there is no way to please everyone all the time. That’s the nature of the beast.
In the coming weeks (months ?) when Gaddafi is either history or captured and his regime dismantled, we may realize that Malta, after all, did make the right decision.
What many had calculated that by the end of the first week of the no-fly zone being enforced, Gaddafi would flee, disappear or be killed have been awfully wrong and unfortunately, no military might, granting or not of a base located 160 km from Tripoli, seems to matter much with regard to speeding up the process.
What about having people who comment here add the name of the country where they live as well as their name or nick? This will give a better perspective on the comments. A lot of people that I meet in Malta seem to think that ‘ghaqal, kawtela u sigurta nazzjonali’ are the correct way to go. I don’t agree with their way of reasoning but they have a right to an opinion. I think they are in the majority. The Maltese character is mercenary.
Ok, gloves off, no more Queensbury rules. Let’s lay down rules of engagement.
1. No ceasefire before Gaddafi, his sons and his clan are exterminated like the rodents they are.
2. This will rid Malta of the Gaddafi psychosis which has afflicted it since 1971.
3. Let’s put it plainly: the only good Gaddafi is a dead Gaddafi and may they be buried at the crossroads with a wooden stake through their heart so that they will not rise again.
4. Nobody and nothing, and I repeat, nobody and nothing, can be worse than the Gaddafi regime. So let the coalition exterminate them.
Nobody gives a f*”k what Gonzi, Borg, Muscat or KMB think about it. They must be exhausted with all that rowing in the regatta boats during the Great Humanitarian Evacuation and so they are not all that clear in their reasoning and thinking.
And so let them have Tomahawks and sorties by Tornado, Eurojet, Mirage and Rafale aircraft until the exorcism is completed.
Eurofighter. But hell yeah, here’s a man after our heart.
Qatar recognizes the Libyan rebel body as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE72R0XH20110328?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
I appeal to the Gaddafi sympathisers in Malta that it is useless to hope for his comeback.
Another appeal goes to the representatives of the Maltese people: get off the fence sooner rather than later, maybe we are still in time not to be totally discredited in the eyes of the Libyans.
It is time to start a new page with Libya. And, as a final note, I do not feel sorry for the loss of contacts and contracts by Maltese businesses which supped with the devil.
This illustrates the Libyan regime’s mindset:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Mixed-Messages-The-Media-Story-In-Libyas-Tripoli-By-Sky-News-Presenter-Jeremy-Thompson/Article/201103415961624?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Page_Feature_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15961624_Mixed_Messages%3A_The_Media_Story_In_Libyas_Tripoli_By_Sky_News_Presenter_Jeremy_Thompson
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110328/local/maltas-first-immigrants-this-year-to-arrive-this-evening
Read the comments and despair. Some are penned by the same short-sighted, self-entitled morons who applaud our “neutral – we will not be used by foreigners – humanitarian” stance. Now they are crying for the EU to save us from the imagined invasion.
The rest are not much better – xenophobes with a crippling inferiority complex.
Strip Gaddafi of his honours
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/remove-ghaddafi-honours/signatures
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Mixed-Messages-The-Media-Story-In-Libyas-Tripoli-By-Sky-News-Presenter-Jeremy-Thompson/Article/201103415961624?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Page_Feature_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15961624_Mixed_Messages%3A_The_Media_Story_In_Libyas_Tripoli_By_Sky_News_Presenter_Jeremy_Thompson
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/28/diplomats-meet-italy-gaddafi-escape
One cannot trust the eyeties who excel in getting their friends out of a corner; Muammar must be calling in his markers from all over the Italian political scene.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/28/diplomats-meet-italy-gaddafi-escape
No wonder the Italians are miffed; they have managed to manoeuver themselver into a corner and have been left out of the political loop.
Berlusconi is too busy appearing in court on charges of tax fraud while nobody takes any notice of Franco Frattini bleating away about a ceasefire and a safe conduct for Gaddafi to where…..Burkina Faso?
And at a press conference in Brussels with Sarkozy a couple of days ago, with the world abuzz over the war in Libya, an Italian journalist asks the star question….what does Sarkozy think of Berlusconi’s treatment of Lactalis in the Parmalat affair?
Il-veru ghandhom il-prioritajiet f’posthom. Qishom Maltin.
Pity “Porta a Porta” on RAI Uno runs so late. Last night, Bruno Vespa with direct links to the opposing parties in Libya, managed to ask a few questions on the future of Italy’s relations with Libya – politically and financially. That’s what a good journalist does – he is well prepared, prudent and far-reaching in his questions.
Well prepared, prudent and far-reaching?
And not even a phone call to KMB?