This piece has to be read with hindsight
I must say, he's doing a pretty good job of it himself
African Intelligence/africanintelligence.com
27 May 2004
MALTA IS LIBYA’S NEW MOUTHPIECE IN BRUSSELS
Only a month after joining the European Union, Malta has stepped ahead of Italy as Libya’s prime champion in Brussels. Malta foreign minister John Dalli is doing his utmost to see that Europe lifts its arms embargo on Tripoli.
He also travelled to Washington to intervene in compensation talks between Libya and American oil companies whose interests were nationalized by Muammar Kadhafi in the 1970s.
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Now, when we put things into the context of all we have learned since, we have to wonder why John Dalli did this. Was he pursuing Malta’s interests or his own?
The Gaddafi regime did not distinguish between business and politics. Business was controlled by key figures in the regime, who got involved and took a cut. They would have seen nothing strange about politicians from Malta doing the same thing. That might be why Karmenu Vella – until recently chairman of a LAFICO-owned group of companies – got a lift home on Gaddafi’s private jet with Joseph Muscat last August.
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Our politicians make me throw up. Jaqq x’nies. Who knows who and how many Maltese politicians rode Gaddafi’s gravy train, or were even living in his pockets?
No wonder the silence from some quarters. I guess we always had one from each side living in his pockets: wiehed f’but u l-iehor f’iehor. Tghid iz-zejt kellu x’jaqsam?
I think it is extremely clear that all decent Maltese citizens are awaiting two resignations: Muammar Gaddafi’s and John Dalli’s.
Actually, all decent EUROPEAN citizens, since Mr Dalli is now a European official.
Mr Dalli cannot eschew accountability for his actions, like a certain Consuelo Herrera has been doing for quite a while now.
Dr Herrera might get away with murder – the idiots at maltastar, KullHadd, Malta Today, etc. should be told that this is a figure of speech – because she is in backwater Malta.
But Mr Dalli is an EU commissioner. He is politically responsible to 400 million citizens, whom he has let down with his inapt remarks inspired by his 400,000-inhabitant-microstate mentality.
Prime Minister Gonzi should muster the courage to ask Mr Dalli, politely but firmly, to call it a day.
I say one thing: he might have been “Malta’s foreign minister”, but when Dalli was lobbying the EU to sell arms to Gaddafi he certainly wasn’t doing it in my name.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/10/gaddafi-libya-nato
Is it always business first with this man?
It is also the last thing. Actually it isn’t even business; it’s money.
If you think about it Joe Sammut and John Dalli have a lot in common.
With his appearance on the Bundy Comedy Show he lost a lot of credibility. With his ill-thought comments on Gaddafi and the picture that is slowly coming together of his links to the regime, he has lost all that was left of it.
This man is an embarrassment to Malta, and he should go.
Pajjiż tal-mikijmaws…
Now we know, no thanks to anyone except DCG. But does anyone seriously think that this sorry excuse for a politician/businessman/whatever is ever going to get off the gravy train? Ghandek cans!
Iz-zejt tela f’wicc l-ilma fil-kaz ta’ Dalli.
Im’billi? Tahseb li ser jigri xi haga? L-aktar jekk jirbah Gaddafi kif fil-fatt jidher li qed jigri.
Your hands are stained with blood and your lips speak lies. I’m only referring to Gaddafi, of course.
“Malta foreign minister John Dalli is doing his utmost to see that Europe lifts its arms embargo on Tripoli.”
Does this mean that Gaddafi may be fighting his opposition with arms that were sold to him after the EU lifted the arms embargo which John Dalli did his utmost to see?