Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this evening announced that today he met the two Libyan pilots who landed in Malta on February 21, after refusing to bomb civilians.

Dr Gonzi said during a discussion on Libya at the Granaries in Floriana that the pilots told him they had been instructed to bomb a small village of 1,300 people.

The activity was being held as part of Malta's independence anniversary celebrations.

The fighter jet pilots had requested political asylum in Malta.

They had arrived on single-seater Mirage F1 planes and had asked to land due to fuel shortage.

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