Summon the Libyan ambassador and cancel the visit – this is not band club politics
Go to Greece and Malta: they owe us one for all that cheap oil we sold them
It was quite obvious that when the prime minister answered the ‘Gaddafi envoy’ questions of a journalist from The Times (Malta) this morning – at a press conference about something else altogether – he hadn’t a clue that Italy was about to announce its recognition of the Benghazi National Council, or that Franco Frattini was about to discredit the Gaddafi envoy’s proposals.
Lawrence Gonzi said that he received the request for that visit from the Libyan ambassador this morning – several hours after the world found out about it through the Greek foreign minister and Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Not that any of us ever thought of the Gaddafi regime as having good manners or observing protocol – especially not with Malta, which they have always treated like one of those Japanese digital ‘pets’ children used to keep in their pockets some years ago.
“The government is making arrangements (for the visit),” Dr Gonzi said. “Yes, he will be coming. We have never said no to such requests. There were times when we spoke to the Libyan prime minister over the telephone (in this crisis) and times when he visited. We see this as our contribution to bringing an end to the violence. The date and time of the meeting have yet to be decided.”
Shortly afterwards, Franco Frattini told the international press that Libya is recognising the Benghazi council as Libya’s only legitimate representative, and that the Gaddafi envoy’s proposals are not credible.
Tonio Borg should summon the Libyan ambassador immediately and tell him that the visit is off. The government has made big enough fools of us already. It’s time to stop digging.
There is clearly nothing to be gained from that visit, and a great deal to be lost in terms of credibility.
And another thing: Gaddafi and his people must be really desperate if they have been reduced to begging Malta for help after pushing us around for 40 years.
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If the Maltese government lets this Gaddafi clown into the country, I for one will never vote PN again.
This is not a threat, but a promise.
Enough is enough, innocent people in Libya are dying and we have to support and help them.
Get ready to rip uo your voting document then…
He just landed an hour ago. You can also help by stopping people from shooting each other.
I just cannot see myself voting Labour, but I sure as hell would consider not voting.
We should form our own party. I’m seeing a lot of fellow disgruntled voters here, with more or less the same political beliefs. Our party would be liberal on the economy and social issues, pro-Western in foreign policy, and uncompromising on hamallagni.
Hey that’s Borg Olivier party’s description, George not Paul.
It was Guido, Eddie, Ugo and Louis that messed it all up with Democrazia Cristiana and their socialist ideas.
That excludes Kev on four counts.
Count me in as a member. I am sick and tired with our government’s sitting on the fence. Now that Joseph Muscat is away, with whom is the government “consulting” on our next move?
It would only include a couple of hundred voters at most, but it would send a strong signal to the Nationalist Party.
Hear hear.
With ‘Twiddle’ Dum and ‘Twiddle’ Dee, the two deputy leaders.
Can I join?
I honestly think we should.
Count me in.
It will be more than 200 of us, believe you me.
What’s wrong with going ahead with the scheduled meeting with this envoy, telling him exactly what the majority of Maltese think about his tyrannical master and his spoilt progeny, and then announce that Malta is to officially recognise the National Council in Benghazi?
Refusing to accept the visit would be a good way of telling him just that.
Because that’s not the way we do things in government. You don’t meet someone in an official capacity just to tell them that you no longer recognise their official status.
If you want to recognise the National Council, it’s a very simple three-step process.
1) You withdraw the Libyan ambassador’s diplomatic credentials.
2) You get the Maltese ambassador out of Tripoli.
3) You name and assign a new ambassador to Benghazi and present his credentials to the National Council.
Easy, goddamn peasy, poo, but since we’re Maltese we have to f**k up absolutely everything.
Malta. Acting silly since 1964.
[Daphne – I have the oddest feeling that the main problem is with step 1 and secrets and lies therein.]
Aha. Daphne. Nail. Hit. Head.
Recognising diplomatic credentials, and withdrawing them when necessary is the highest exercise of national sovereignty, and possibly the very definition of “sovereign state”. If we’re incapable of doing anything so basic, so essential to the functioning of Maltese statehood, then we do not deserve to exist. We should ask the UK to take us back, and cease being independent. Seriously.
The Maltese ambassador is not in Tripoli.
I know, but he is still accredited to Tripoli. That’s what I meant.
Are we being held to ransom?
Couldn’t agree with you more. One sore point, though, is which side the majority lie. The Times online poll is not nice reading.
The meeting isn’t scheduled. It was announced to the media yesterday, before the request for a meeting had been made to Malta.
It is not necessary to have a meeting to say those things. The firmest message would be a flat refusal to meet.
Here’s Karl Stagno Navarra on Malta Today:
“MaltaToday is informed that Obeidi will be travelling to Malta from Turkey were he is expected to hold a private meeting with Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Foreign minister Tonio Borg after meeting with Prime Minister Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in Athens and Prime Minister Erdogan in Ankara where he reportedly carried a message from Col. Gaddafi that stressed Libya’s intent to stop the fighting.”
He repeats what everyone knows already and makes it sound like he’s got an exclusive from a special source.
Then we should expect some arse licking.
Are the leaders of our nation that much compromised? I always thought that some people are living in Gaddafi’s pocket, but to this extent? To the extent that it is evidently game over soon, and some are clinging to the very last straw? Phu.
Malta – it-Tamagotchi ta’ Gaddafi.
In which case, the “animal” can only be a pussy …
Mur ara, u erga mur ara u ibqa’ mur ara x’konna nghidu kieku l-PM Malti kellu jhalli li Malta tiehu parti attiva fil-gwerra…MUR ARA!
[Daphne – The Laburisti could have said whatever they liked, Giovanni. They don’t vote for him in any case. People like you, too, could have said whatever they liked, because they are blindly loyal and so their opinions are dangerous. It’s the opinion of people like me that has to be considered when this government acts – precisely because we are not blindly loyal and so serve as a bellwether. Whatever people might have said if the prime minister entered Malta into the coalition – not the war, given that we have no fighter jets or warships – it wouldn’t have been half as bad as what they are saying now.]
Kemm stampi ta’ katavri fl-ixkejjer, kemm biki u qrid….Kemm haw ipokriti . U dan qed nghidu minghajr ma nidhol fil-mertu ta’ klellniex nidhlu jew le. Jien li kien ghalija kont niftah berah il-port ghall-qawwiet tal-Punent, imma, nerga’ nghidm MUR ARA kieku!
I’m wondering of who is really running Malta’s foreign policy: the Libyan ambassador, or Tonio Borg?
Setting up appointments with the Prime Minister? Putting up razor wire around the embassy perimeter? Staging protests in Attard?
And, of course, no questions asked.
The Prime Minister was unaware of the meeting until he was informed this morning. Never mind that the world had been informed by way of news reports the night before.
“….have always treated like one of those Japanese digital ‘pets’ children used to keep in their pockets some years ago.” Just brilliant. Where do you come up with these?
‘Bring an end to the violence’ sounds good if you do not understand the events across the water. Our aim should be to bring an end to the murder of Libyan civilians by Gaddafi forces. There is a distinct difference in aim and it is in the wording. Wake up please.
Well said!
Some time back, I had said that our two main political parties are a deceiving spineless lot and that they do not deserve our vote. (Unfortunately) it seems that I was right. Nothing more to add, except the fact that I got ridiculed by yours truly and ‘et noe’ that I was just another person who expected ‘sic’ handouts!
What can I say?
[Daphne – I still disagree with you, Brian. Not voting doesn’t give you no government. It gives you a government you haven’t at least tried to choose. Politics is about real choices not castles in the air. Incidentally, yours truly means ‘me’ and not ‘you’. When you say ‘yours truly’, you are speaking about yourself.]
errata corrige:
Shortly afterwards, Franco Frattini told the international press that Libya is recognising the Benghazi council as Libya’s only legitimate representative, and that the Gaddafi envoy’s proposals are not credible.
Should read: ITALY is recognising the Benghazi council …
@H.P. Baxxter
I don’t think that It would be only a couple of hundred voters that would join a truly liberal party. Although, many people in Malta are not liberal, privately there are quite a few people that are liberal both on economics and social/moral issues.
And to your surprise even people that usually vote for Labour, especially the young ones with a good standard of education.
Don’t get hung up on the word “liberal”. That’s just on economic and social policy. My sort would be comfortable with a right-of-centre party in any civilised European nation, even ones which don’t label themselves “liberal”.
I guess that if Gaddafi REALLY means to stop the fighting, then all he has to do is ……..stop the fighting and save himself the trouble and expense of sending envoys around Europe to prove just how sincere he is.
But Gheddafi is no longer credible (has he ever been anyway?).
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110404/local/gaddafi-envoy-arrives-in-malta-as-rebels-reject-proposals