Malta, 15 April:
Malta’s Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat left Libya today after a short visit during which he met with the chairman of the NTC Mustafa Abdul Jalil. He also met with Misrata Local Council and the Benghazi Business Chamber.
Addressing the media on his return to Malta, Muscat said he was satisfied with the visit — requested by Libya — and said it had left positive results.
“The [ruling] Nationalist Party has long been trying to give the impression that there are problems between the new Libyan leadership and the Labour Party, but it has now been proven wrong. There was also someone who tried to ruin this visit by passing frivolous comments … don’t worry we held up our country’s reputation high.”
Muscat was referring to the Prime Minister’s speech this morning, in which he warned the Labour leader not to “tarnish Malta’s reputation” with his visit to Libya.
The Libyan delegation was made up of Labour MPs Karmenu Vella, Michael Farrugia, Noel Farrugia and former foreign minister Alex Sciberras Trigona.
“These people went with me to prove the point that there are no problems between Libya and the Labour party’s past,” Muscat said, when asked why he had chosen them to accompany him to Libya.
During his visit to Benghazi, Muscat said that the Benghazi Business Chamber had raised its concerns over counterfeit products, including medicines, reaching Libya from Malta. “This is what tarnishes our reputation,” Muscat added.
During yesterday’s evening meeting with Jalil, Muscat expressed his support for negotiations between Malta and Libya on gas and oil and said he hoped that the discussions leave positive results.
On his visit to Misrata, Muscat said it was not only significant because of its geographical closeness to Malta, but also because it had been the first city in Libya to hold democratic elections.
In Benghazi, Muscat urged the business association to give all the support that a Maltese trade delegation would need.
(Malta Today)
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