KMB says support growing for his motion

Former Labour leader Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici yesterday claimed he was garnering a lot of support among Labour delegates to back his planned motion against the EU conditions negotiated by the government.

From the feedback received so far, there were more delegates in favour of his stand than against, Dr Mifsud Bonnici claimed at a news conference.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said he was determined to do his utmost to convince party delegates that it was not in Malta's interest to join the EU on the conditions negotiated by the government.

He is to present a motion to this effect at the MLP general conference in November.

Labour leader Alfred Sant, and deputy leaders Michael Falzon and Charles Mangion have told Dr Mifsud Bonnici in a letter that the issue of EU membership has been sealed by the general election result.

The MLP leadership argued that the agreement negotiated by the government was not advantageous for Malta, but the party must accept the democratic will of the majority.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici, who also heads the Campaign for National Independence and the Front Maltin Inqumu, shares different views though, even if his stand is not clear cut.

The CNI is against EU membership, the FMI is against the conditions negotiated. And during yesterday's news conference he made it clear that he was speaking as a Labour delegate.

He told reporters he wanted to have an agreement "with the EU, and not in the EU," which led many to take that to mean he wanted another form of agreement with the EU, short of membership.

But he then said that the motion to be presented to the Labour Party in November would not urge the MLP to take Malta out of the EU.

The party should continue insisting that another advantageous agreement be negotiated, he said.

He said that the wording of the motion has not been formulated, but added that he would hold talks with other delegates and that it would be worded in such a way as to ensure it would obtain the consensus of the majority.

He defended his seemingly rebellious stand against the party by saying that practically all democratic parties had different factions and there was therefore nothing wrong with the fact that he had adopted a different stance to that of the leadership on the issue of the EU.

Each political party should do its utmost to turn its minority into one of majority and not throw its policies overboard, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

"Ultimately, if the MLP respects its voters by saying that the agreement negotiated by the Nationalists is disadvantageous, then logically we should work against that agreement - and not accept it.

"My conscience will not be dictated by any form of convenience."