The Maltese government is trying not to upset diplomatic and commercial ties with Libya, balking at the prospect of a nuclear reactor which French president Nicolas Sarkozy will provide to the country ruled by the dictator once dubbed by Ronald Reagan as the ‘Mad Dog’ of the Middle East.
MaltaToday can reveal that the Maltese government is actively following up reports of the civil nuclear technology deal Sarkozy signed with Libya – although it has not yet expressed public concern over the move, which is being actively criticised in France and Germany.In Malta, the Green Party has lambasted the French decision, but the Labour party said Libya had won international respect for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.The Maltese government is in contact with its ambassador in Paris, Vicki Ann Cremona, over the matter and two reports have already been compiled over the situation. But details of the deal remain unclear to the embassy as much of the French bureaucracy is now on holiday.
Foreign Minister Michael Frendo yesterday told MaltaToday the government will be monitoring the situation through the European Union.
But his cautious note was to say Libya had renounced its weapons of mass destruction programme back in 2004, referring to Muammar Ghaddafi’s crucial step to come in from the cold after years of sponsoring international terrorism.
“This energy proposal is for desalination purposes and not linked with weapons,” Frendo said. He added that the nuclear energy proposal would be coming from a European Union member state and have to work within international safety procedures.
The memorandum on building the new reactor, allegedly for the desalination of sea water, was signed as Sarkozy held talks with Ghaddafi on Wednesday last week, a day after Tripoli freed six foreign medics. France played a key role, along with EU officials, in securing their release.
Facing a barrage of criticism over the deal from French socialists, Sarkozy yesterday accepted to create a parliamentary commission on the Franco-Libyan developments.
The deal has sparked safety concerns in Malta, although a mainly silent press has not touched upon the subject.
Alternattiva Demokratika, the Green Party, was the first to express concern: “It’s a serious threat to the security of the Maltese islands… France has totally ignored the security concerns of the Maltese citizens and acted solely in the interests of the French nuclear industry,” chairperson Harry Vassallo said.He lambasted the French president for proving himself to be “more of a salesman rather than a statesman.”
The Maltese Green MP in the Italian parliament, Arnold Cassola, has asked Italian foreign minister Massimo d’Alema to hold tripartite talks with France, Libya and Malta.
German politicians have been especially critical of the deal, with minister of state for foreign affairs Gernot Erler describing the deal as politically “problematic”, raising fears of increased nuclear proliferation in the region.
French critics decried Sarkozy’s international endorsement of an undemocratic state which in the past has sponsored international terrorism such as the Irish Republican Army, and whose human rights record is regarded as dismal by human rights watchdogs.
But Malta Labour Party spokesperson for foreign affairs Leo Brincat said he saw no reason why Libya should be treated differently from other countries pursuing nuclear technology.
“Any sovereign state that respects international rules and obligations has every right to obtain civilian nuclear energy through legitimate and transparent means. I see no reason why Libya should be treated differently from other countries, particularly when it already showed its deep commitment to honour its international obligations after abandoning its plans to develop weapons of mass destruction – something that has won it both international respect and appreciation,” Brincat said.
But critics have already decried the lack of transparency surrounding the deal, which was only revealed through an exclusive interview with the son of Muammar Ghaddafi, Seif al Islam, who also disclosed a EUR260 millions arms deal for anti-tank missiles with French arms firm EADS.