Tripoli issues 650 visas to Maltese in one month

Libya issued 650 visas to Maltese businessmen in less than one month, outgoing Libyan ambassador Ali Nageem yesterday told the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

He said that while more had to be done for visas to be issued smoothly, there was a willingness from both sides to facilitate the process as much as possible.

Libya, for example, issued its visas in Arabic and sometimes the Maltese were unable to read the expiry date, he admitted.

Mr Nageem complained that people entering Malta through the non-EU citizens area at the airport were being made to wait up to half an hour until their passport was checked.

When these people complained, they were told these were new procedures and one needed time to get used to them. Malta could maybe consider increasing the number of workers at the airport, he said.

Mr Nageem also called on Malta to assist Libyan students who wished to study here, in areas such as nursing.

Mr Nageem said there was substantial Maltese investment in Libya but he would like Libya's Maltese partners to look further afield than Tripoli into other areas of Libya.

He said that four leading Maltese businessmen were preparing to open a clinic in Libya and other businessmen were interested in opening schools of English in Libya. These were areas in which the two countries could work more together.

Mr Nageem thanked the committee for its invitation and said it was an honour for him to be the first ambassador to attend such a meeting with the committee, which reflected not only the good relations between Malta and Libya but also his good personal relations with the members of the committee.

The two countries' relations were based on dialogue. This dialogue could be used to promote peace and security in the region, reduce tension and consolidate understanding and dialogue. The geographical location of the two countries, he said, could enable them to continue to be a bridge between Africa and Europe.

Mr Nageem said there could not be security and peace in the Mediterranean without a just and comprehensive solution to the Middle-East problem or the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

"In this context we believe that it is possible to deduce lessons from history and emulate the living model of South Africa which can be applied to the Palestinian/Israeli situation."

Mr Nageem said that the Maltese, in view of their close proximity and special relations, knew more than anyone else the truth about the false accusations that were raised from time to time "by those who have dubious interests in doing so".

Foreign Minister John Dalli agreed with Mr Nageem that relations between the two countries were based on the reality of two neighbour states which had always supported one another.

Libya had given Malta the support it needed without any problem and when Libya had been going through a difficult period, Malta had, in a sign of friendship, kept open for Libya a window to the world.

Mr Dalli said that when Malta was moving towards EU membership, Libya had been disappointed as it thought EU membership would move Malta away from it.

This, the minister said, should not be the case. Indeed, EU membership should be beneficial to Libya as there was now a country in the EU that was sensitive to Libya's culture and understood its sufferings.

Mr Dalli said that although the visa requirement had to be introduced, the two countries had managed to draw up an agreement and protocol which made sense.

Malta, the minister said, was doing its utmost for Libyan applications for visas to be served in the best way and in the shortest possible time. Similar efforts were being made by Libya and efficiency was improving every day.

More could be done, however, not by those running the system, but through an improvement of regulations for the process to be made easier.

At the beginning of the meeting, committee chairman Jason Azzopardi said he was somewhat sad that Mr Nageem would no longer be ambassador for Libya in Malta.

He thanked him for his work to improve relations between Libya and Malta.

Dr Azzopardi said that he wished to see twinning programmes between Maltese and Libyan towns and villages for exchanges between the people.

He also hoped that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi would take up the Maltese government's invitation to visit Malta in the near future.

Mr Nageem's visit was followed by a presentation by Dr Stephen Calleya on Malta's role in international relations in the Mediterranean.

He said that Libya offered Malta a golden opportunity to facilitate matters behind the scenes. Malta should be doing this for Libya in Berlin and in Washingtom DC, for example.