The moment of truth has come

As the Libyan regime steadily makes gains in rebel-held cities, the moment of truth has come and it can no longer be avoi­ded. The international community is facing the stark question of whether it is willing to allow Muammar Gaddafi to hang on to power or whether it will do its part to see him go. This is not the responsibility of one single country or even of a group of countries. It is everyone’s responsibility and there is no more room for hiding behind innuendos.

That Col Gaddafi should leave now is clear to all. Repeated calls have been made for him to go, including by the Arab League and the EU. His regime is no longer legitimate after having turned its guns on its own people. But words are not enough to support the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people. As I write, one city after another is being retaken by the overwhelming firepower of Col Gaddafi’s military machine. This cannot be matched by the untrained, ill-equipped rebels composed of what are ultimately simple citizens defiantly hanging on to their dream.

What the action should be is also clear. Military options have been weighed and the no-fly zone has emerged as the one with most support. Significantly, even the Arab League is insisting on a no-fly zone, so there is no question this is not a Western plot to seize Libya’s oil. Of course, it is fraught with risks. But no option is free from risks. And the worse option at this point is to do nothing.

Last Thursday, the European Parliament set the scene by adopting one of its most politically courageous resolutions to date. Here are the salient points of our resolution.

Firstly, it expresses its full solidarity with the Libyan people. This is fundamental because we have no business interfering where it not to support them.

Secondly, it calls for an immediate end to the “brutal dictatorial regime” of Col Gaddafi. Those are the words it uses and they are not an overstatement.

Thirdly, it calls for the freezing of the proceeds of oil and gas sales, which are the only remaining lifeline of the regime.

Fourthly, it states that no option can be ruled out to save Libyan civilians and it specifically endorses the possibility of a no-fly zone as long as this is authorised by the UN. Now that the no-fly zone is also supported by the Arab League, pressure should be mounted to get the UN Security Council to authorise it as soon as possible. Fifthly, it calls on the EU to establish relations with the Interim Transitional National Council. If we truly believe Col Gaddafi has lost his legitimacy then we need to start talking to the opposition.

Sixthly, it calls for a robust international humanitarian operation, both for the Libyan people and for refugees fleeing the country.

And, finally, it calls on the Commission to make sure the EU is adequately prepared for any mass migratory movement on the basis of article 80 of the treaty, which refers to the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility.

The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority of more than 580 members and that includes the support of all five Maltese MEPs who spoke unequivocally and with one voice on the matter. It is a pity, therefore, that soon after the vote, the Labour Party rushed to the press to attack my political group, the EPP, for supposedly having rejected calls for solidarity and burden-sharing in the resolution.

Their statement was utterly ridiculous because the resolution actually includes a specific paragraph, drafted by myself, on this matter as explained above. Indeed, the European Parliament’s official press statement itself said that “at request of Italian and Maltese MEPs (I was the Maltese MEP involved) and despite some initial reluctance from other national delegations, the resolution calls for the principle of solidarity and shared responsibility (as established by the Lisbon Treaty) to be applied to border control. The European Commission should have ready all the necessary ‘financial, human and technical resources’ to assist EU border countries in the event of a mass migratory movement”.

It can hardly be more clear and this shows Labour did not even read the resolution before precipitating to the press. It is truly rich for Labour to rail against us on burden-sharing when, over the past seven years, not one of their three MEPs joined me in the committee that deals with immigration.

So this behaviour was unwarranted and it unnecessarily sought to introduce partisan politics in a matter that should unite us. I refuse to play that game. On the contrary, I welcome the Labour MEPs’ support for this resolution. Their stand has been by far more clear than that of their own party leadership, which has repeatedly fudged and waffled its way clumsily on this matter.

www.simonbusuttil.eu

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.