CNI boycott IVA

The Iva Movement is wondering why the Campaign for National Independence, the anti-EU membership lobby group, has refused to invite them to take part in public discussions.

"We have always invited CNI to our public discussions, but for some strange reason this is not reciprocated. Maybe they fear our arguments would convince people to vote otherwise," Iva movement secretary general David Casa said yesterday.

The CNI launched the first of a series of public discussions in the run up to the referendum last night inviting General Workers' Union general secretary Tony Zarb, Henry Battistino, president of the Ghaqda Imprendituri Maltin, and CNI member Toni Abela - all renowned eurosceptics.

Nevertheless, Mr Casa said the Iva Movement was determined its final campaign would shift more undecided people towards a 'yes' vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

The pro-EU lobby is to hold a press conference this week to announce the final programme of its "hectic" campaign, which is to cover the period until the referendum, expected some time in March.

"It will be a very hectic campaign focusing on individuals and on factual information," Mr Casa said.

He said it was ironic to see CNI chairman Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici going to Ireland yesterday to campaign against the ratification of the Nice Treaty when it was he who, as prime minister in the 1980s, had strongly campaigned against foreign interference.

"There is nothing wrong with sharing experiences. But nobody should tell another country what it should do."

Writing in yesterday's The Times, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the CNI did not want to interfere in Ireland's internal affairs but it wished to extend its solidarity to those Irish people who were struggling to preserve the policy of neutrality.

Mr Casa took a completely different perspective to comments made by EU Commissioner for enlargement Gunther Verheugen last week, when he warned that the island would be marginalised if it voted against membership and that it risked becoming a small island between Europe and Africa with no influence or vote.

At a press conference last Monday, the CNI leader interpreted Mr Verheugen's statements as being nothing more than a threat and an insult to the country.

But Mr Casa said that what Mr Verheugen had advocated was that it was an opportune moment to go for EU membership and that Malta could not afford to shelve the issue once more.