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Karl Schembri
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s meeting with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was delayed twice by the Libyan authorities in what is a clear sign of a diplomatic snub.
MaltaToday has learnt that the official visit to Tripoli that was supposed to be held two weeks ago was only called off a couple of days before Gonzi’s departure after the Libyans informed the government that Gaddafi would not meet the Maltese premier.
Foreign Minister Michael Frendo however disagreed when asked for his comments.
“I don’t think Malta is being snubbed at all, it’s not an issue,” he told MaltaToday. “We are entering a new exciting and intense phase in which we are getting a deeper understanding of each other.”
Until late last month, everything was set for the Prime Minister’s trip to Libya between 27 and 29 September, accompanied by Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg and Foreign Minister Michael Frendo.
However, the Libyan authorities informed the government at the eleventh hour that Col Gaddafi was to be occupied meeting tribe leaders from all over Libya in what is known as “fidelity day,” when they renew their allegiance to the former pariah of Bedouin blood.
This meant that the Maltese delegation’s trip had to be postponed by a week, with Gonzi and his ministers leaving last Monday instead. Even then, Gaddafi only called for Gonzi to meet him in his tent in Misurata at the last minute on Wednesday, leaving the Maltese delegation on tenterhooks.
The last-minute meeting also meant that Gonzi had to leave European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso awaiting him for more than three hours in Malta. A meeting scheduled between Barroso and Gonzi at Girgenti at 12.30pm ended up in a trip round the Grand Harbour between the two of them at around 4pm.
Although the government did not make any declarations about the incident with the Libyans, adopting the pretence of “business as usual,” diplomatic sources say it is clear Malta is being given the cold shoulder by its southern neighbour.
A further sign of this is the Libyans’ lack of enthusiasm in appointing a new ambassador in Malta following the retirement of Ali Najem’s retirement last August. Diplomatic sources say the Maltese government would like to believe the lack of an ambassador so far was only due to lengthy bureaucratic procedures, but they acknowledge that such appointments would only require Gaddafi’s rubber-stamping once there is a will to fill the vacancy.
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