Illegal immigration is an international problem which demands international solutions, the Libyan ambassador to Malta, Saad Elshalmani told the parliamentary European Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday.
The Libyan ambassador said the problem of illegal immigration was an international phenomenon, it was a very complicated issue with many dimensions, causes and roots and it needed to be dealt with in several ways.
Libya, he said, understood the extent of the problem in Malta but it also suffered from the problem as it was both a country of transit and a destination.
It had long borders with sub-saharan Africa and it needed and required technical and financial assistance especially from the European Union to be able to monitor its southern borders.
Dr Elshalmani said that security measures were not enough and sea patrols were not the best solution. There was a need for longer term solutions and measures. The African continent and source countries could be supported financially and technically for the elimination of poverty so that Africans would not feel the need to leave their country and look for a better life elsewhere.
Replying to a question by committee chairman Jason Azzopardi, the ambassador said Libya was cooperating and doing its utmost for the problem to be eased.
Dr Elshalmani also spoke on visas and said that both Malta and Libya had now succeeded in making the application for a visa a simple procedure although the two countries were constantly seeking ways of making the process easier.
Foreign Minister Michael Frendo agreed that the issuing of visas had now become a run of the mill procedure and the movement of people between the two countries remained high, so much so that the nine flights a week were always full.
Dr Frendo said that there was a level of trust between Malta and Libya which was particular. The two countries had always been close and they were discussing issues, including immigration and working together very intensively to make sure conclusions in international fora were agreed with wording acceptible to everybody. Libya, the minister said, retained a particular affection and interest at many levels in Malta.
Replying to a question by Labour MP Leo Brincat, the ambassador said there were extensive housing projects in Libya and there was room for Maltese companies to contribute in these projects. Some were already doing so.
The ambassador pointed out that Malta and Libya had 35 agreements between them with the first being drawn up in 1968.
These, he said, had to be continuously updated to remain effective as both Libya and Malta entered different stages in their development with Malta becoming a member of the EU and Libya of the African Union.
The membership of the two countries in these two important unions should bring them closer to each other.
Malta, the ambassador said, could play a role in explaining Libya's views towards issues of common interest. As a member of the EU it could explain to its partners the views of its southern neighbours in the Arab world and the Middle East.
Malta knew the people in this area, their culture and their interests more than others and was in a better position to explain the interests of these countries.
Malta and Libya could together bridge Europe and Africa and the European Union and the African Union. Malta was always a place for dialogue between cultures and religions and could play a very important role in preventing culture clashes.