The Maltese Armed Forces will start receiving arms and weapons through the USA’s foreign military financing (FMF) programme next year, after the fund was stopped when Malta became a signatory of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The AFM has been earmarked for $100,000 in military financing that will be used for the purchase of US-produced weapons, and $50,000 for International Military Education and Training (IMET).
Last year it received $43,000 in IMET funds.
Malta was rendered ineligible for US funds after refusing to sign the Article 98 agreement, binding it not to hand over US soldiers to the ICC, the world tribunal which prosecutes war criminals.
The ban was lifted back in October 2006, days after George W. Bush recommended to the Senate to ratify an extradition treaty with Malta.
Despite being excluded from IMET funds, Malta was still a beneficiary of $616,000 in non-proliferation funds, which were used to improve Maltese efforts to intercept shipments of narcotics and weapons of mass destruction.
Malta is officially described by US Congressional reports as “an important partner of the USA in addressing regional security concerns”, due to its location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean.
“Malta is strategically located in the midst of illicit trafficking routes and is an important ally in the war on terror,” a justification report for the funding says.
Last year, Malta became aligned with American demands to develop a “valid export control system”. 2007 also marked the signing of the bilateral Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) shipboarding agreement, which gives US soldiers the right to board Malta-flagged vessels suspected of carrying cargo that could be used for nuclear activity or WMDs.
US congressional reports say Malta has been “responsive” to requests related to the war on terrorism, but that the US government is greatly concerned about the “potential movement” of WMDs through the Freeport.
One of the reasons for this is the presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), which has its Mediterranean hub at Malta Freeport.
US grants and donations in the past included a container scanner for the Malta Freeport, and the controversial PISCES identification system, an immigration database located at all ports of entry.
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
Download front page in pdf file format
All the interviews from Reporter on MaltaToday's YouTube channel.
The turning of the tide Friday’s collective protest by all Malta’s unions against the government’s revised utility tariffs should impart a powerful message to the Lawrence Gonzi administration: that there is a limit to political arrogance, and one crosses the line only at one’s own risk>>
Artists, art critics and friends unanimously gather to remember the impact and value of Ebba von Fersen Balzan’s work and her strong connection with the Maltese islands
